


From dusk 'til dawn

by Akariorukidea



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Boy this shit will go places, F/F, F/M, I also need more RK1000 in my life, I still love North though so she will remain my baddass gal lmao, Idk I just felt like writing something using the plotholes I found on the game lmao, M/M, Who tf knows, also Markus was never in a romantic relationship with North here, also there's a possibility of my boys becoming OP, seriously it's so fucking good, that just looked way too forced and it doesn't sit well with me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-02
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-06-20 18:22:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 41,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15540213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akariorukidea/pseuds/Akariorukidea
Summary: They are prototypes, they were enemies, and now they are allies.What Markus and Connor didn't know, however, was that together they would form the key for their people's true freedom.





	1. The expectations of a father

**Author's Note:**

> So, like, I absolutely adored this game... But of course it wouldn't be perfect.
> 
> I had to do something regarding these two though, to fuel my RK1000 needs and spin things in my own way, because this game's ending was not as satifying as it should have been for me.
> 
> So hey, have this. I hope you like it~
> 
> Ps: English is not my first language, so apologies in advance for grammar/spelling mistakes.

He moved the glass in a slow motion, the whiskey inside it swishing along with ice cubes as he kept his cold blue eyes fixed on the wide flat screen a few meters from him. The journalist who was delivering the stupefying outcome of the conflict―or massacre, given none of the machines actually fought back―with the revolutionary androids seemed outright shaken; uncertainty shinning in his eyes as he announced that president Warren had ordered the US forces to retreat and evacuate the city upon the alarming threat the sudden apparition of the extensive android army trailing behind a certain RK800 posed to the lives of civillians.

A satisfied, almost cynical smile graced Kamski’s lips when the journalist spoke of how everyone seemed to have been mistaken about Markus being the only mastermind behind the machines’ uprising. Connor, the prototype who was previously known as the “deviant hunter” stood by Markus while the deviant leader recited his empowering words to the crowd of androids bellow them, brown eyes scanning their surroundings with a precision only his advanced features could provide. The recording was made from afar and had been very brief, but even then the billionaire was capable of perceiving how the detective’s analytical eyes travelled across the sea of machines in search of any sign trouble, as the mismatched wonder by his side continued his triumphant speech.

They zoomed on Connor’s expression at some point, and the android seemed to detect the attention since he turned his head in the camera’s direction as soon as it focused on him. The fierce, baleful glower that leveled up to the unwanted attention seemed to rattle the man behind the camera, since the recording quaked for a second before the image was cut back to the news anchor. The smile in Kamski’s lips widened considerably, remembering the conflictuous mess the android had been back in the day when him and his partner had paid him a visit. There was no trace of doubt in his eyes any longer, and his wintry look pierced through the lens like sharp ice shards, sending chills down the spine of whoever was watching.

Kamski however, remained unpertubed; satisfaction dancing in his eyes as he realized with glee that the Connor that would nod at every command and never disobey a single order was completely absent in this machine that was silently baring its fangs at the world.

It was more than the billionare had bargained for. Surely he expected the RK800 to mutiny against Cyberlife at some point―that’s what Elijah programmed him to do after all―but the vivid anger that burned within the previously docile hazel eyes was far more intense than he had anticipated. Connor’s posture exuded wrath and dissatisfaction, and his silent rage contrasted highly with Markus’ dovish aura.

It was jarring, and with no doubt, intriguing that no machine could feel so intensely as those two could. _You sure outdone yourself this time, Elijah_ the man mentally commended himself, his posture relaxing even further as he laid on the luxurious couch and brought the thick squared glass to his lips.

He wondered what had sparked such rage in the RK800’s circuits, but his genius mind didn’t take long to construct a theory. Cyberlife had demanded an obedient model, one that would be unable to deviate and would heed every command; a loyal dog which would never bark at its owners even if they mistreated it. Kamski remembered frowning upon the demand, wondering _why_ _in hell_ should he bother to aid the corrupt company’s objectives, which had gotten him to abandon everything in the first place. The fact that they were demanding―outright threatening him to do it unless he wanted trouble in his forced retirement―only fueled the man’s dissatisfaction even further, so he decided that if he had no chance but to do this, then he would add his own twist to it.

_I always leave a back door in my programs… You never know._

Cyberlife must have attempted to regain control of the RK800, certain that they would succeed given the assurance they had received that Connor’s program was impeccable and easily manageable, but Kamski never mentioned the loophole he added while building the android, along with the back door he did _always_ leave in his programs.

The same door the first deviant opened in order to emulate real feelings, and the truth Connor didn’t get to discover since he never pulled the trigger.

If Markus was still alive, then Connor must have found the way out in time, which meant the shameless attempt of shackling the ex-hunter had only served to aggravate him further, and if Connor’s protective stance by Markus was any indication, any new attempt against the deviant leader’s life would cause Cyberlife―if not the whole world—to suffer the backlash of all the abuse they inflicted upon the second of Kamski’s mightiest creations.

Kamski chuckled in amusement, swallowing the last of his whiskey. He just couldn’t wait to see how _his boys_ would turn this world upside down, because it was clear Markus would not engage conflict unless it was strictly necessary, but Kamski knew better. He knew very well how the human nature worked: while some understand, most never learn.

Unfortunately for them, the skillful and obedient dog they had demanded had broken out of his leash and chosen to join his kin. 

And it was clear that from now on, he wouldn’t hesitate to bite back.


	2. Protector and protected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The response to this was better than I anticipated lol glad y'all liked it, boos~
> 
> I'm launching another one for y'all since you are such adorable candies, so hold some fluff and try not to vomit rainbows like I did writing this l m a o.
> 
> Edit: Holy shit guys, I just spent 2 hours brainstorming ideas for this story and I came up with something that actually works very well and fills many of the gaping plot holes our buddy Mr. Cage left behind, and also works very well with my initial idea, so I just wanted to say I'm hella fucking excited to share these with y'all :3

The sound of scrunching snow followed his every step, and the familiar presence of a scruffy and normally ill-tempered lieutenant walking by his side seemed to help on keeping his system under control.

There was no doubt that being pulled into a tight hug by no one less than Hank Anderson had caught Connor completely off guard, but he was honestly grateful that the man had done so. Ever since what transpired during the previous night, Connor had been in quite the mood. He was still trying to get a grip in all those conflicting emotions that kept assaulting his system, but none had been stronger than all the rage he felt once he set himself free from Amanda’s vicious bindings.

After everything he went through, all his doubts, his struggles… nothing seemed to matter after she said those words. It was all part of a plan. He was never really waking up, but yes just walking down a path these twisted people paved for him. They used him, threatened to shut him down if he displayed any slight sign of deviancy, to destroy him if he ever showed anything more than a machine should show, but he was meant to become a deviant anyway. All those meetings with Amanda, where she used pretty words and made him believe he was doing the right thing by hunting down his own people, they were all a set-up. All to manipulate him the way they wanted.

The memory of when he was face-to-face with Markus for the first time suddenly burned inside his plastified skull, replacing Amanda’s deceptive glare with a pair of mismatched eyes, each hue seeming to display a different emotion. Bright blue shining with hurt, while green sparkled with disbelief; a look so raw and full of emotions that it was hard to believe the being before him was a machine, and not an actual human being.

The deviant leader’s words seemed to take quite the toll on him. It did begin in the Stratford Tower, where he heard the android’s speech for the first time and, for some reason he didn’t quite grasp, didn’t share all of his findings with Lieutenant Anderson. He had already been feeling somewhat unstable given the past situations where he felt some instability in his software, but the peaceful and yet firm words being uttered by that one android in specific, seemed to have sent his entire programming into a disarray that he didn’t quite manage to control. His words back at the ship had just been the last push Connor needed, and in a blink of an eye, his own hands were ripping apart the red walls of coding that encased him inside his lifeless casket.

Once they came tumbling down by Markus’ feet, Connor was stunned. It felt like the invisble strings that had been pulling at him were suddenly cut, and there was nothing holding him back anymore. He was free. _He was more than a machine._

And yet, Cyberlife dared to force its hand on him yet again and completely destroyed everything he thought he had accomplished. Markus didn’t help him step away from the lies. Connor didn’t set himself free from the invisible threads. They momentarily let him go, just so when the moment was right, they could tug at them and try to make him once again into their obedient puppet.

Connor didn’t need emotions or a human heart to understand that was, in Hank’s exquisite dialect, _fucked up._

So he felt despair while blazing through the freezing storm happening within himself in search of a way out, and he was not sure why Elijah Kamski’s words had reached him in such a dire moment, but he was grateful nonetheless since he soon remembered the inquisitive monument he had dismissed so many times during his long talks with Amanda, and he could see its faint blue glow shining in the distance. He cut through the storm in a haste, not minding how the relentless cold seemed to bite at him or how his system kept alerting him of the iminent danger of having his body being exposed to such negative temperature, but Connor never paid any mind to it. He could only see the stone, and once his hand came in contact with it, he was back to the podium. Markus impassioned speech filling his ears and slowly working on calming down the maddening rhytm his thirium pump had acquired, which was almost jumping off his chest by the time he managed to ground himself back to reality.

His fingers were holding the cable of his handgun, which he was about to remove from his waist to point at the man he had come to admire so reverently. Connor felt a rush of relief run through him once he released the metallic menace, but after the relief, came the fury, and from all the feelings Connor had begun to experience since his deviancy, this was the most overwhelming.

He suddenly stepped forward, closer to Markus but not enough to be noticed by the public he had captivated. Connor had no idea how to deal with the sudden wave of rage that coursed through the thin tubes which carried thirium throught his biocomponents, but Markus’ voice was affecting him positively, slowly but constantly placating the tempest that had taken place inside the RK800. He didn’t understand why Markus’ presence seemed to be so effective on calming him down, but since it was like that, he decided to focus mainly on the deviant leader and his surroundings. If he was to suffer with this incoherent disarray of negative emotions, might as well use it to keep potential threats from attempting something against the savior of all androids.

It was more effective than he expected, since the bristling energy he was exuding didn’t only keep unpleasant scenarios from taking place, but also got piqued upon by the nosy reporters hovering above them like vultures. All it took was one warning glare, and the “Deviant Hunter” became the “Savior’s Sentinel” in the eyes of the rest of the world.

The title didn’t bother him in the slightlest. In fact, he was glad they had broadcasted his foul mood. He was set on destroying anything that posed a threat to Markus from now on, so let it be known that it would be foolish to attempt such thing.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Hank’s voice pulled him back to reality, causing him to send a confused look in the lieutenant’s way.

“There is not need to offer payment in exchange of my thoughts, Lieutenant. I can share them without a fee.”

Hank immediately rolled his eyes and released a exasperated sigh, “It’s an expression, dumbass.”

“Oh”

The officer scoffed and shook his head. The fact this boy could transition from emotionless machine to a goofy idiot in the blink of an eye was terribly endearing, “You’ve been staring into nothingness with a frown for so long that I got worried you were malfunctioning or something.”

A smile tugged at Connor’s lips, “So you were worried about me, Lieutenant?”

“What?! Fuck no!” Hanky immediately denied, the light ruborization that tinted his cheeks not passing unnoticed by the grinning android, “Oh for fuck- wipe that smug grin out of your shitty face before I punch it.”

Connor chuckled, looking forward again, “Whatever you say, Lieutenant.”

“And cut the ‘Lieutenant’ crap already, we are way past that,” he reprimanded, causing Connor to look back at him in surprise, “Just call me Hank.”

“Alright Liu- Hank,” Connor smiled again, and Hank felt a warmth spread in his chest that told him he could definitely get used to seeing this boy smile. Mainly after how tense he was looking just now.

Not that he would ever admit that out loud.

“Alright, out with it,” Hank commanded, sitting on a bench and pulling the RK800 to sit by his side, “What’s bothering you?”

Connor reached for his coin, fiddling with it as his eyes became somber once again, “Yesterday, during Markus’ speech, Cyberlife attempted to take a hold of me again.”

Hank’s smile faltered, the light mood from before dissipating completely as the older man frowned as deeply as Connor had been doing a few minutes earlier, “What?”

“According to the personification of Elijah Kamski’s late mentor I used to converse with in my mind palace, they planned me to become a deviant from the start, just so they could resume control once the situation appeared ideal,” Connor paused, brown eyes hardening as the coin was enveloped by his closing fist, “And they attempted to execute Markus through me.”

Hank blinked, his expression showing nothing but disbelief, and soon merging into one of utter disgust, “That’s fucked up.”

Connor ended up chuckling again. Yep.  _Definitely what he would say._

Seeing the RK800 chuckle seemed to soften Hank’s mood slightly, but he still wore a look of pure outrage in his face, “Those bastards… to think I ever stood by their side of things at a certain point.”

“It’s alright, Hank. I managed to escape in time, thankfully,” Connor resumed the fiddling with his coin, now directing a contemplative look to the freezing sea ahead of them, “However, I’m not sure if I would forgive myself if I had allowed them to use me to destroy everything Markus fought so hard to achieve.”

Hank analyzed him for a brief moment, “Is this why you were looking like the devil itself on the news?”

“Anger overcame my processors and I was entirely clueless before how to control it.” Connor took a picture of the sight and reserved in his hard drive. For some reason, he thought of Markus while admiring the soothing view, so why not register it to show him later on? “This whole ‘feeling emotions’ ordeal is quite the recent development for me, so I’m yet to be acquainted to how one can properly deal with them.”

Hank stared at him for a second, “You sound like a damn thesaurus at times, fucksake.”

“… Apologies?”

“Forget it, but look,” Hank straightened himself, looking right into Connor’s eyes, “First thing about feelings, kid, is that there is no guide of how to deal with them. You just feel, and with time, you’ll learn. It’s a simple concept, so I’m sure you can grasp it with this overly advanced bot brain of yours.” He poked Connor’s forehead, causing him to adopt a bashful expression, “As for the whole ‘getting angry’ thing, it’s normal, mainly after the bullshit those assholes put you through, but know that whatever they said, it’s bullshit, ok? All you achieved until this moment, it was all _you._ Your efforts, your choices, not whatever was the manipulative crap they told you.” He assured him with vehemence, finally noticing that Connor was watching him with a focused, almost childlike look. It reminded him of Cole, which pulled at the strings of his heart.

A lot of things about Connor reminded him of Cole. He wondered if that was the reason why he was so decided to reject everything about the android in the beginning of their partnership.

Hank cleared his throat, “You escaped this… mind place thing of yours right? Do you think there’s any chance they will try to control you again?”

“I’m not sure,” Connor admitted, concern painting his features as a small frown etched his forehead, “While I exited the garden, the weather was antagonistic, but nothing else seemed out of order.”

“So there is a possibility.”

The android nodded “Much for my concern, yes, there is.”

“Maybe your robot Jesus can solve this? I mean, he does have this ‘power’ that converts androids. Maybe he can cut your ties with the Cyberdicks once and for all–” Connor was staring at him, “What?”

“ _Robot Jesus?_ ”

“Yeah, the guy has a whole ‘messiah’ vibe on him. Guess Jesus did return, just not as a human. Who would have known?”

Connor continued staring at Hank, until he broke into a fit of laughter that actually surprised the Lieutenant.

Smiling was one thing, but _laughing_? If he had any doubts the deviant leader had some sort of relation with the man above, he sure had none now. Who the fuck else would manage to bring forth such a miracle?

“I’m fairly sure the christians would be affronted upon hearing such blasphemy, Hank,” Connor finally managed to say while cleaning away the tears pooling by the end of his eyes, and Hank couldn’t help but to smile.

“Well shit, I was never much of a man of church anyway,” he shrugged, resting against the backseat of the bench, “But could he?”

“Perhaps, I’ll ask him whenever we meet again.”

“Good,” Hank nodded, looking forward to admire the same view Connor had been admiring earlier. A comfortable silence settled between the two of them, and since his nerves had been eased by his friend, Connor pocketed his coin. 

The RK800 never once thought he would reach a point in his relationship with the Lieutenant where silence would be comfortable instead of awkward. It was a nice feeling, one which he was in full control of and that he actually enjoyed. This reminded him of when, even midst his wrath, Markus’ voice seemed to reach him and soothe his troubled mind, easing his circuits when they felt like they were about to explode. It wasn’t enough to completely extinguish the feeling, but it was just enough to bring his focus back. It was something nice, a pleasant feeling in between a violent sea of wrath and negativity.

He smiled to himself. Maybe Markus _was_ some kind of deity, after all.

“Hey, Connor,” Hank’s voice interrumpted his thoughts.

“Yes?” The android focused on the man, who hadn’t averted his eyes from the sea.

“I’m proud of you.”

He froze, eyes wide and unblinking as he gaped at the older man. _Did he just…?_

Hank finally looked at him, and that same red coloration took over his face, causing him to avert his embarrassed gaze, “Don’t make that dumb face, kid, it’s just…” He sighed, rubbing his face, “In the end, you chose to do the right thing. I meant what I said back in that building,” His hesitant gazed returned to Connor, who still looked starstruck “You guys seem more alive than many of us.”

It took him a moment, that for Hank felt like hours, but Connor finally opened a wide smile, “Thank you, Hank. That means a lot coming from you.”

The lieutenant scoffed, pulling the android to a side hug and resting his head on top of Connor’s, “Don’t get used to it, son. This is an once in a lifetime occurrence.”

Connor nodded, scooting closer and actually enjoying the warmth the older human emanated, not missing how different had his tone been upon calling him ‘son’.

He could get used to this.

“ _Connor…?_ ” Markus hesitant voice suddenly filled his mind, his tone immediately causing Connor to frown as the tender moment was quickly forgotten in the RK800’s now racing mind.

“Markus? Is there something wrong?”

Hank immediately looked at him, his look becoming just as serious as Connor’s.

“ _Don’t worry, I'm fine,_ ” Markus quickly reassured him, which had the RK800 sighing in relief, even though he didn’t actually breathed to be holding any air in. “ _But there’s something you need to see back at the Cyberlife’s building._ ”

Connor immediately tensed, “The Cyberlife building?” He questioned, which caused Hank’s frown to deepen even further. “What of it? Hank and I inspected the entire vicinity while releasing the androids, and yet I have no recollection–”

“ _Connor,_ ” The RK200 tone was suddenly urgent, almost commanding, “ _Just come, please._ ”

“Alright… I’m on my way.” Connor said, and the connection was over. He frowned slightly, getting up from the bench, “Markus apparently has found something troubling back at the Cyberlife’s assembly plant, and he is requesting my presence. Apologies for cutting out talk short, Hank.”

“As if, kid,” Hank got up, dusting off his pants to rid them of the snow, “I’m going with you.”

Connor opened his mouth to retort, but Hank simply raised a hand.

“Last time I left you out of my sight, psychos tried to take control of your head in order to kill jesus, so I’m not taking any chances,” he explained, walking ahead and not even bothering to turn around and look at Connor’s stunned expression.

“Hank–”

“What’s takin’ you so long, plastic prick?” The lieutenant called, continuing to walk forward. Connor could only shake his head while a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He followed the man without another word.

Connor might have been resolute in his decision to protect Markus, but nothing would stop Hank from doing the same for him, not when he had already lost a son to the selfishness of humankind.

He wasn’t about to lose another to some assholes who thought they owned everything.


	3. We need you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *throws a gigantic ass chapter at your face because couldn't stop writing for 4 hours straight*
> 
> I have no control whatsoever. I even thought about splitting this because it got too big, but hey, I do love me fanfics with lenghty chapters since they allow you to have a better immersion, so why not? 
> 
> Also forgive possible mistakes. It's 03:30am in here and I'm a zombie atm lol

Hank’s car passed through the gigantic gate that led to the Cyberlife building. The fact the gates were wide open and with no surveillance whatsoever didn’t surprise the duo, since it was how they had left it in the previous night when Connor marched out with his own army of androids.

As soon as they pulled by the building’s entrance, Markus came out of it with a frown marking his features. Connor exited the car and eyed the deviant leader with concern. Whatever it was that he had found, certainly left him in a bad mood.

“Connor, hey, glad you could make it,” Markus greeted him, eyeing Hank as he stood by Connor’s side, “Lieutenant Anderson, I presume?”

“Just Hank is fine, I’ll be off of duty for some time apparently” He shook Markus’ offered hand, “Pleasure to meet the man of the hour.”

Markus chuckled at that, “Is it _that_ bad?”

“The TV speaks of nothing else, boy,” Hank shrugged, “Well, that and Connor’s death glare.”

“Yes, I noticed that,” He then directed his unique eyes to Connor, concern vivid in them, “Is everything alright? I never had the chance to ask you.”

“Our people needed immediate care, so they were priority over my personal reasons,” Connor reasoned, not missing how Markus seemed to soften when he used ‘ ** _our_** people’ while referring to the androids, “But answering, I’m considerably better after spending some time with Hank. Thank you”

A relieved smiled graced the revolutionary’s lips, “Good, but that reminds me,” then he turned to Hank, “You are not going to evacuate along with the other humans?”

“Hah, these imbeciles are running away thinking y’all are going to terrorize their lives like they did with you, but I know better,” He shrugged, “Ain’t just leaving all my shit behind. Besides, Sumo likes the house.”

“Sumo?”

“My Saint Bernard”

Markus’ eyes lit up for a moment, which caused Connor to lift a brow in amusement. Could it be that the fearless deviant leader _had a soft spot for pets_?

He would investigate that later on. For now, they had more pressing matters to attend, “Very well, what was it that had you so adamant about having me here, Markus?”

“Oh, yes,” said man seemed to blink back to reality, his previously calm expression acquiring the same frown from before, “After helping our people and designating a few of tasks to Jericho’s original members, Noth stayed to guide them while Simon, Josh and I came here to seek for parts, biocomponents and thirium, but when we arrived, the place was deserted.”

“Yes, Connor ended up scaring the assholes away during his little invasion. Well, I did scare a few of them myself,” Hank said smugly as a smile pursed his lips. That sure had been fun.

Markus nodded, “I imagined as much. However, during our search, we came across something very… unsettling, in one of the labs.”

Connor frowned, “What do you mean?”

“I guess you should see for yourselves.”

Markus then proceeded to guide them through the tower, and the place was eerily quiet. Hank couldn’t help the uneasiness that installed itself in his gut. The place already looked extremelly cold and uninviting before Connor’s little stunt, and now it looked even worse.

Cyberlife was more lifeless than the machines they created, it was disturbing.

The group entered the elevator and Markus hacked the panel, causing it to move down to floor -35. It was a few floors above the one Connor and Hank had their little scuffle with the other Connor, and Hank was pretty sure the little shit’s body was still where they had left him.

Which was good. The next time someone tried to pass as his boy, he would gift them his closed fist.

The elevator finally arrived at its destination, and once the doors opened, they were met with a barely lit corridor that set off all kinds of alarms inside Hank’s head. Markus moved forward, and so did Connor, but Hank hesitated for a second. Maybe he shouldn’t be in there, it felt intrusive to nose in the android’s private matters, but neither Connor nor Markus seemed to mind his presence so, what the hell?

He soon fell back into step with them, and they walked for around 5 minutes― _For fuck’s sake, this is one long ass corridor,_ Hank had grumpily thought―until they finally reached one of the many metallic doors that covered the silver walls by the end of the corridor.

Markus opened it without cerimony, and the first thing Connor detected was the nervous expressions Simon and Josh displayed. The duo turned their attention away from the screens they had been staring at to look at the newcomers, and Simon immediatelly greeted them with a smile, “Connor! is good to see you again!”

The PL600 circled around the table and stood in front of them, soon to be followed by a silent Josh. Connor nodded, “Likewise, Simon. Hello Josh,” He greeted the silent android, who shot a nervous look in his direction and whispered a barely audible hello. His tense posture caused the RK800 to yet again raise a brow, but before he could say anything, Simon beat him to it.

“Ah, are you a friends of Connor’s?” Simon cheerfully asked Hank, which caused the old man to furrow a brow.

“You sure are a chirpy one,” He pointed out, offering the grinning android a hand “Hank Anderson.”

Simon shook his hand, soon giving Josh space to do the same, albeit he did it gingerly, which proceeded to confuse Connor even more. Upon Simon’s laidback behavior he thought that perhaps the problem wasn’t as big as Markus had made it sound, but judging by how stiff the dark-skinned android seemed it was just as problematic as he was expecting.

“May I ask what was so urgent?” Connor inquired, calling everyone else’s attention, “Apart from the unsettling silence that happened to befall the vicinity after my brief ‘visit’, I fail to see what happens to be troubling you.”

Markus sighed, walking around the desk and towards the computers which Josh and Simon had been previously staring at, “Come here, you need to see this.”

Connor followed the deviant leader with the others trailing behind. Soon he was standing by Markus’ side and looking at the bright screens, which appeared to display countless windows of data opened. Connor quickly scanned the informations, only detecting annotations about experiments with a handful of chemicals, which was not quite unexpected to find inside one of Cyberlife’s labs, but before he could ask Markus what was so troubling about a handful of notes from a scientist, the RK200 minimized the window with the annotations, and staring at Connor, was a picture of himself.

Attatched to an extensive file of puzzling data.

“ _INA_?” He read out loud the unknown acronym right by his picture, tilting his head ever so slightly. He attempted a research on it, but all the results turned out inconclusive,  “What is it?”

“We have no idea, but,” Markus minimized Connor’s file, revealing one of his own right beneath it. Right by his picture, the same three letters could be read, “It's related to me as well.”

“We thought it had something to do with ‘inactive’, since Markus’ file was the first one to pop-up and he had been, well, you know,” Simon scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably, “Before starting the uprising, but then your file showed up and nothing else made sense.”

“Well, I have suffered quite an extensive amount of damage throught my missions, being either destroyed or suffering complete system shut-downs, so a file of mine accusing inactivation wouldn’t be otherworldly.” 

“First of all, what in the name of all the fucks ‘otherworldly’ even means?” Hank questioned, raising his hand when Connor opened his mouth to answer, “Don’t, it was a rethorical question. And secondly,” he pointed at the screens, “If this is supposed to be a file about one of your ‘work accidents’, why the hell all the files Cyberlife ever sent us on this matter, were completely different from this?”

Connor frowned, looking back at Markus’ file. Indeed. It was nothing like the ones he had analyzed back at the office’s database when he was investigating the cases involving deviants.

“There are no others,” Josh finally spoke up, crossing his arms in front of his chest, “Simon and I looked all over, but these computers have nothing else other than _very_ descriptive data about Markus and Connor’s models and this ‘INA’ thing. We did find a few files about it, but they were all encrypted, _and_ unhackable.”

A pregnant silence installed itself in the room for some time, until Hank finally voiced everyone’s thoughts with a loud and assertive, “What the _fuck_?”

“This is nonsensical. Why would Cyberlife be studying models of their own making?” Connor inquired, eyes scanning his and Markus’ files once more in search of any clue.

Said leader had his lips in a thin line, “The fact they had a file _on me_ makes no sense. They might have built Connor, but far as I know, I was built by Elijah Kamski himself and immediately given to my father.”

Hank turned to him with a furrowed brow, “Your _father_?”

“Carl Manfred never treated me as less than a human being from the very start,” Markus easily explained, fondness present in his tone as he remembered the artist that painted a whole new reality before his mechanical sight, “Kamski was an old acquaintance of his, and since he started needing frequent support after the car accident that confined him to a wheelchair, I was assembled to look after him.”

Hank blinked, stunned. He remembered reading the news about the incident in Carl Manfred’ mansion–how his actual son had been “attacked” and seriously injured by the man’s android–and even read Markus’ own file back at the preccint not knowing it was him at the time, since neither his model or name were in any of the files, but looking at Markus right now and at everything he has done… There was no doubt the situation had been terribly misinterpreted.

He knew who Carl’s son was. Leonard Manfred had a long criminal record regarding drug dealing and even aggression, having been brought to questioning once or twice for causing public disturbances during his drugged fits. The boy was clearly problematic, and if the painter had gone as far as seeing a son in a machine, then their relationship was probably strained. It wasn’t hard to understand that Markus had not been the one to spark whatever conflict took place in that fateful night, but he still paid a price for it, if the blue iris that differed from the green one was any indication.

Still, Hank couldn’t help but to feel admiration towards the deviant leader. Many would have grown hateful after being wronged so terribly, but the android did the exact opposite. Instead of exacting revenge on the world that destroyed his life, he opted for following a peaceful path that allowed Chris to return home once more to his wife and children. When humans were shooting at his people as a warning, he stepped forward in order to get shot in their place. When humans opened fired at them regardles of their non-aggressive approach, he once again soldiered on and shielded his androids from the brunt of humankind’s hatred, all while bullets pierced through his synthetic skin. When the world could only speak through violence, he made them understand through a song. He was, undoubtfully, as impressive as Connor, who had his rounded brown eyes focused on Markus as they appeared to be having one of their silent conversations, and the lieutenant couldn’t help but notice how Connor’s eyes always lit up while focused on the revolutionary, making it clear the lieutenant was not the only one who admired Markus.

Hank smiled fondly. He sure had no trouble understanding how Carl managed to see a son in a machine.

“We should keep investigating this later on,” Simon said as he placed a hand on the screen and downloaded the files, “I’ll show them to North and we’ll try to find out more about it. Maybe speak with Rupert, since he seems to be an expert on encryption.”

Connor sucked his teeth. This was the moment where he was definitely glad he had prioritized Hank’s safety and allowed the bird-loving-android to flee that day.

“Alright, and Josh, while Simon and North take care of that, I want you to lead a group and bring all the injured androids here.”

The PJ500 frowned slightly, “What for?”

“It would be highly unpractical to carry parts and thirium to the injured when we can just use Cyberlife’s resources to treat them altogether,” Connor promptly explained, having Markus to gesture in his direction in a way that implied they should listen to him, “This place was previously used to fabricate androids and fix the damaged ones, therefore, its resources will be vital to minister proper medical care for those in need.”

Simon’s face immediately lit up, “Like a hospital for androids?”

“Precisely”

“That’s perfect!”

Josh whistled, looking equally marveled “This is exactly what our people need right now!”

“That’s what I thought, Connor just suggested it to me,” Markus said, patting the RK800’s shoulder and smiling brightly at him, “with him in our side, things might turn out better than we expected.”

A faint tinge of blue appeared on Connor’s cheeks and he quickly diverted his look, LED frickering from blue to yellow as embarassment washed over him upon being so highly praised by Markus and the others. The trio didn’t seem to notice since they were engrossed in their conversation, the idea about an android hospital working to lift their spirits considerably and easing the tension that had been weighning on the room due their mysterious finding, but Hank had _definitely_ noticed, and the mischevious grin that appeared in his lips caused the RK800 to groan internally.

He would never let Connor hear the end of it.

* * *

A few hours later, once all preparations were made and Josh left to regroup with the androids, Hank went back home to check on Sumo and Simon focused on locating and preparing the rooms that would house the injured androids for the moment. Connor and Markus worked on helping him, until Markus disappeared from sight for some time, much for Connor’s dismay.

Simon had smiled at him, “He does that sometimes. You should go after him, it normally happens when he’s troubled with something and needs to clear his mind”

So that’s what Connor did. He politely excused himself and went on searching for the deviant leader throught the vicinity, until he finally found him outside, standing by the edge of the concrete plataform ahead of the tower’s entrance. His hands were inside of the pockets of his overcoat, and a thin layer of snow now covered his head and shoulders. Connor eyed him for a moment, briefly scanning him in search for any apparent issue, but aside from the bullet wounds that had not caused any crytical damage, his readings seemed fine enough.

“ _I can feel you scanning me from back there, Connor,_ ” His sultry tone invaded the RK800’s mind and halted Connor’s analytical thoughts, briefly jumpstarting him, “ _Join me already._ ”

Once again feeling embarassment wash over him–that was _definitely_ one feeling he could leave without–Connor gingerly stepped forward until he was by the deviant leader’s side, noticing how his heterochromatic gaze was focused on the great platinum statue standing above the water, just a few meters from them. He seemed pensive, but otherwise peaceful.

“It’s taking me some time to register all of this, you know?” Markus spoke after a minute of silence, eyes never leaving the statue, “When I decided to fight for my freedom, I knew what the price would be if I failed, but I had nothing else to lose… Not until so many of our people started to blindly rely on me, and it became clear that if I failed, their blood would be in my hands,” he released a humorless chuckle, which Connor could interpret as a sharp intake of breath if androids actually needed to breathe, “I was terrified.”

“Then I suppose it’s a good thing that we’ve won,” Connor pointed out with a grin, causing Markus to finally look at him, “Our people have made the right choice upon deciding who to trust.”

Markus responded with a smile of his own, “I thought you wanted my head, _hunter_ ”

Connor chuckled at that, looking forward, “It's been awhile since I resigned this title, if the double agent operation I orchestrated in your favor is of any indication.”

“Oh yes, I suppose now I’m to address you as my personal _sentinel_?”

Connor scoffed at that, “Don’t”

“It’s like the lieutenant said, there is nothing else on the news,” He smiled warmly “That was quite the frightening glare you had there.”

The RK800 shrugged, “As long as the message was successfully conveyed, I’m satisfied.”

Markus stared at him for a moment, and Connor felt something stir in his chest before the intensity burning within those mesmerizing eyes. There was concern–an emotion he happened to become familiarized with due seeing it quite often in Hank’s eyes after the man warmed up to him–and an inkling of something he couldn’t quite place. Suddenly, he wished these emotions actually came with some sort of manual.

But that was impossible, according to Hank, so might as well find out some other way.

“What happened that upsetted you like that?” Markus asked before he could say anything, surprising him.

So that was the reasoning behind his concern? Connor felt that odd warmth engulf his mechanical heart again, which caused him to wonder if his inner thermometers were somehow malfunctioning. Perhaps he should run a diagnosis later, just to be sure.

“Cyberlife attempted to… override my program,” He admitted, immediately regretting once Markus frowned, “I was told that my deviancy was planned from the beginning, and that they were only waiting for the right opportunity to restore control.” He felt a frown of his own form, “They tried to use me to kill you.”

Markus’ scowl intensified considerably, “How did they manage that? I thought our trackers were neutralized once we deviate”

“Given I was a model designed _specially_ for deviant hunting, I assume they added a… failsafe of sorts, in my program,” Connor's jaw tensed as he looked away from Markus’ unpleased expression, “I successfully managed to find a way out, but I cannot deny that the possibility of it happening again leaves me quite fretful.”

“And if it does?” Markus reluctantly inquired.

Now it was the deviant leader’s turn to be caught breathless before the intensity inside the warm chocolate eyes that stared back at him, “You’ll dispose of me immediately. As the leader of our people, your safety is the most–“

“Not happening.”

Connor blinked, “I beg your pardon?”

“I’m _not_ going to kill you, Connor,” Markus fiercely countered, his troubled expression making clear how much the idea was inconceivable to him, “Apparently you didn’t notice, but I wouldn’t be standing here right now if you didn’t succeed at waking up the others back at this place. The best I could do was stall the humans, and _even so_ we still lost many of our own. The humans only retreated because you tripled our numbers,” his hands went to the other’s shoulders, firmly grasping at them as blue and green locked on brown, “We would be _dead_ if wasn’t for you.”

Connor was taken back by the intensity of those words, “I… It wasn’t anything extraordinary. If anything, I was only able to do it because your influence aided me on breaking through my programming.”

Markus frowned again, “I didn’t.”

“What?”

“If you are referring to how I can wake up androids, I didn’t do it with you,” He calmly explained, causing Connor to become even more confused, “The only thing I did with you, was _talk_.”

Connor was at loss. He was sure that Markus had used his elusive ability of conversion to help him see the red wall in which he tore down with his bare hands. This was one of the reasons why he had been so crushed when Amanda said his deviancy had been plotted, because it meant Markus’ had been used as well, but apparently it wasn’t the case.

But still, it puzzled him. Connor had pointed a gun to his head while announcing how he would drag him out, even if by force, so wouldn’t be easier to just reach for the RK800 and deviate him at once? Markus had the power for it, Connor heard of how he converted androids from a distance with ease during one of his marchs, and yet he chose to put himself at risk in order to attemptreasoning with his attacker, who held him at gunpoint? Markus was too much of a cunning leader to allow himself to make such a foolish mistake unwillingly, so there had to be a reason. “But _why_? I literally could have shot you right there!”

“I wanted to give you a choice,” The answer was simple, and yet so groundbreaking. The RK800 blinked rapidly as his hardware attempted to register what the man before him had just said, and Markus couldn’t help but to sigh as his hands left the other’s shoulders, “I fight for our freedom, for our right to _choose_ who we want to be. If I forced you to into submission, even if it was for your own good, I would be disrespecting my own principles,” He shook his head, just the idea of doing such thing seeming to disturb him. “I would be disrespecting _you_.”

Connor finally managed to reorganize his thoughts, “But the others–“

“Were unaware,” He interrupted, his tone smooth and soothing as velvet, “You, were not.”

 “I… I don’t understand.”

Markus’ lips parted with a smile as soft as his eyes, and Connor felt the circuits around his thirium pump malfunction for a second. For some reason, his mind highlighted the fact that the odd-eyed wonder seemed quite… exquisite, while bathed by the moonlight, and Connor wasn’t sure why his thoughts insisted on labeling the sight as ‘breathtaking’ when there was no oxygen inside him to be taken.

Markus, in other hand, found the dumbfounded expression on the RK800’s face curiously endearing, like that of a child’s when she is met with a new and confusing situation. Although, as adorable as it may look, it was cruel to leave him that way.

“You were _already_ awakening by the time we met, Connor.” Markus’ smile widened slightly as the memory of Connor’s conflicted expression during that night flashed before his eyes, “But you were still tiptoeing between sides, deciding what was right and wrong, so… I just allowed you to come up with your own conclusions.”

Connor frowned, “That was reckless of you, what if I had choosen wrong?”

“Well,” He shrugged, smile never leaving his lips as he placed his hands back inside his pockets, “Then we would have to test who was the best RK prototype.”

A smug smile appeared in Connor’s lips, “Which would have been me, of course.”

“Psh, _as if_ ,” Markus teased, causing Connor to chuckle while he laughed himself.

Markus didn’t know why, but it was just so easy to feel lighter when the chocolate eyed detective was around. He definitely could get used to this.

Connor quickly stopped laughing, however, as a somber look overcame his expression, “As delightful as it is to hear that, and even if I’m endlessly grateful that you respected my previously revoked free will, this doesn’t change the fact that, as I am right now, I present an undeniable threat to your life, therefore this should properly be accounted for with no more detours–”

“Your extensive vocabulary worsens when you are nervous or upset,” Markus pointed out with a smirk, “it’s cute.”

A blue tinge colored Connor’s cheeks as he widened his eyes, affronted, “Cute? I am not ‘ _cute’_ , Markus. I’m a highly advanced model capable of–”

“Scaring people shitless, I know,” he nodded sarcastically, “Me and the rest of the United States, _savior’s_ _sentinel_.”

“Markus, I’m serious.”

“And so am I,” the leader countered, “I am _not_ killing you, you are far too important.” He explained, causing Connor to become silent again, “They may say what they want about me, but I’m no super android. Hell, before all of this I was nothing more than a healthcare assistant,” he shook his head, “I need help, and yes,” he raised a hand to stop Connor once he opened his mouth “Simon and the others do provide a lot of help, but I can’t share the weight of the world with them. Even if they insist they can take it, which I know they can, I rather if they don’t. They have their own demons to fight, originated from traumatizing experiences far worse than mine, so I rather don’t burden them even more.”

“But why _me_?” Connor questioned, clearly exasperated, “How can you trust me so much? Until a few days ago, I was _literally_ hunting you down, Markus.”

The deviant leader chuckled in disbelief, “I literally just told you that you broke through your programming without my help, and there is also the fact that you did it _a second time_ , since I’m still alive right now,” he pointed out, causing Connor to purse his lips, “And you are still asking me why? You, who has the strength that I don’t have, the intellect needed to care for our people, and the courage to face Cyberlife not once, but _twice_ , and win? Our people needs you, Connor… _I need you,_ ” Markus breathed out, eyes burning with such raw intensity that Connor felt an involuntary jolt to rush through his circuits, “Do you get it now?”

“I… yes…” He blurted out, still not quite in charge of his thoughts, “I… understand, but… What if Cyberlife does attempt to override my program again?”

Markus reached for his hand, “Do you trust me?”

Connor stilled once he felt Markus’ palm meet his own, but the sincerity flooding the other man’s eyes were more than convincing that he knew what he was doing, “Yes.”

He felt his as his synthetic skin receded to give place to ivory white, and before he knew, they were interfacing.

Connor felt a shudder course through his body as memories that were not his own flooded his mind, along with a disarray of disconcerting emotions that were definitely new to him. He saw flashes of Markus taking care of Carl throught his life, the good moments he shared with the man he considered a father, just to lose everything after the scuffle with his son. The overwhelming pain caused by a gunshot and the despair after darkness, the fear upon waking up hurt in what looked like a living hell, the desperate attempt to put himself together, the loneliness, the pain, the anger.

But there was also when he allowed that dying android to keep its thirium pump, regardless of the constant warnings of imminent system shutdown flashing before his sole functioning eye. When he emerged from hell like a phoenix rebirthing from the ashes and allowed the rain to wash away his body and soul, his search for Jericho, his journey to save his people from the darkness and find them a place under the sun, and all the fear and insecurities that ensued. His talk with Perkins, his determination to protect as many androids as he could, the momentarily loss of hope that painted his world black and white while the humans held them at gunpoint.

And then there was Connor, seemingly exploding into a mesmerizing palette of colors as he marched into the battlefield with a loyal army trailing behind him, repainting Markus' lifeless world as a wave of relief and pride washed over him. 

The feeling of newfound hope was the last thing Connor caught on before the connection came to an end.

He blinked back to reality; his metallic heart beating furiously inside his chest cavity as his head spun and he swayed, only to be engulfed by a strong set of arms that steadied him up. “Breathe, you need to cool down your system, it’s okay.”

Connor did as he was told as Markus’ sultry whisper seemed to help in the process, although another involuntary shiver insisted to shoot through his body. His LED was flickering between the three colors frantically while he worked on calming himself down. By the time Connor managed, he was completely winded.

Rumors were that interfacing was intense, but that had been… A bit _too_ intense for his hardware.

“What happened?” He managed to breathe out, still safely encased by Markus’ shuddering arms.

“I severed their connection with you,” Markus answered, although his voice was as breathless as Connor’s, “It was tricky to locate it since your software is absurdly complex, and it showed a lot of resistence, but I still managed, somehow…”

Connor finally managed to steady his legs, albeit they still trembled somewhat like a baby buck’s. Markus released him from his strong hold and soon he was gazing into wide and disoriented mismatched eyes, “Incredible… Hank had suggested me to ask, but I wasn’t sure if you could…”

“To be honest, I wasn’t sure either.” Markus admitted, blinking a few times and smiling, “Call it a leap of faith.”

“Why would one be leaping– is this another example of figurative speech?”

Markus laughed, which caused Connor to huff “Yes, it means–”

“An act of believing or attempting something whose existence or outcome cannot be proved, yes, just finished researching.”

Markus could only laugh again, “You are priceless.”

“Actually, I’m worth a small fortune.” Connor teased, feeling a smile tug at the corner of his lips when Markus snorted.

“You sure are,” The RK200 agreed, eyes shining with something Connor couldn’t quite place, but one thing he _did_ detect and that caused him to flush slightly, was endearment, “But don’t worry, they won’t be causing you any trouble from now on, I made sure of that.”

This time, Connor smiled broadly, “I appreciate it, although I wasn’t expecting the side effects of the connection to be so… severe.”

“They normally aren’t,” Markus said as matter of factly while staring at his own palm, “At least not that I remember.”

Connor thought for a second, until he came up with a plausible conclusion, “Well, I suppose it has to do with the fact you were working on severing Cyberlife’s remaining control over my program. Such an outcome is to be expected if it was as complicated as you said it was to manage it.”

Markus stood silent for a moment, until he finally nodded while closing and opening his hand, rising his look to focus on Connor once again, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips as he offered said hand to him, “So… Partners?”

Connor smirked in response, reaching for Markus’ outstretched hand, “I need to ensure your safety and our people’s, so yes, partners.”

The deviant leader rolled his eyes playfully, “Workaholic much?”

“Which reminds me, we should return and help Simon to finish the preparations,” Connor suggested, walking past the RK200 as he removed his jacket and loosened his tie, “I estimate Josh’s arrival taking place in about 2 hours, so this building needs to be prepared in order to accommodate the patients, yes?”

Markus nodded dazedly, watching the retreating form of the RK800 more eagerly than he should.

He shook his head, massaging his forehead and trying to organize his thoughts. Yes, the interfacing had been more intense than he anticipated, but there was a numbing feeling lingering at the tip of his tongue. He had overstepped his boundries in order to free Connor from Cyberlife’s maniacal hold, but this wasn’t what was disconcerting him. Nor this, neither the alarming amount of feelings and memories of Connor’s that poured over him while he worked.

But yes the fact that once Markus succeeded on severing the link, the word “INA” flashed all over Connor’s complex programming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this is my first time writing some "romantic centred" scene so... I do hope it was satisfying. Still trying to get a hang of this, heh. Also, Hank is just too fun to write about, so I just had to add more of him in this chapter, PLUS his view and opinion on Markus. I've seen him a lot as the dad that threatens the boyfriend if he mistreats his son, but Hank did show admiration for Marky-moo in the game, so why not explore it? :3
> 
> Not that it changes the fact he will tease these two a whole lot, HAH.
> 
> Also hmmm what can this INA thing be? I wonder~
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, see you soon!


	4. The saint and the devil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> World Building Note: Ok guys, so I want to add some diversity in here. I know most androids look the same because well, why would a company care about giving a product different faces when it can just produce a lot of the same with ease? But the androids are their own people now, they will acquire personalities, tastes, like actual human beings, so I'm granting them the ability to change the appearance of their synthetic skin. Example, another AX400 (Kara's model) can choose to stay the same, or change her appearance all together, from skin to eye color. It just adds a bit more into the lore, and just to give you guys a heads-up because this reality will be subtly inserted in this chapter~
> 
> Android Models Referenced in this chapter:  
> KL900 - android Society Caring for a broken family And victims of physical and mental abuse. There is a simulation module on psychology (Lucy).  
> MP600 - medical android  
> TR400 - strong and durable.Used in heavy lifting. Such as used in transport of (Luther)
> 
> Also, I teared up while writing this chapter, holy shit. Trigger warnings for whoever is a crybaby like me, ugh.
> 
> *handing out tissues* Good luck.

The adaptation of Cyberlife’s Tower into a medical center was complex, but successful nonetheless. Connor’s prediction regarding Josh’s time of arrival had been surprisingly accurate, since the PJ500 was at the building’s entrance exactly two hours later, with several androids trailing behind him–many in terrible shape and either needing support to walk or to be carried–that were now looking expectantly at their leader, who had a painful look in his face as he eyed the injured among his people. Seeing them in that condition definitely left a sour taste in his mouth.

After noticing how the sight raised the RK200’s stress levels considerably, Connor promptly  stepped into action. He was quick to address all of the KL900 and MP600 models first–the majority that had volunteered when Josh requested aid on transporting the damaged androids–and instructed them to carry the patients to the prepared rooms, giving priority to those in worse shape. Children were to be fit in that category regardless of their condition, and the ones who had no medicinal modules in their software but were healthy enough, should aid Simon and Josh to proceed with the vicinity’s preparation to accommodate incoming patients. The designation of tasks was quick, efficient, and well received by all the androids, who quickly head out to perform their appointed tasks. Connor continued his stride, ordering the remaining four TR400 models to follow him towards the sub levels, and the bulkier androids quickly fell into step after the RK800, leaving Markus blinking in disbelief where he stood.

He knew Connor was good at technical matters, but that was just off the charts.

“Impressive, isn’t he?” A small voice sounded beside him, causing the leader to turn his head towards it only to find Kara with a tender expression. His eyes immediately widened.

“Kara, you are alive!” He beamed at her as the AX400 offered him a small smile.

“Thanks to you,” she then proceeded to collide against him, her petite arms enveloping his waist in a tight hug, “None of us would be here if wasn’t for you, _thank you so much_.”

Her voice was muffled by his torn shirt, but judging by the humidity that dampened the fabric, it was clear she was crying, “Hey hey, there’s no need for that,” he carefully pushed her back, keeping his hands on her shoulders in a comforting manner and allowing her to direct her watery gaze to him, “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have told you to stay. You and your family should have left as soon as possible…”

She shook her head, “It would be useless. A friend of mine contacted me saying the city was covered with the police and they were being very thorough, even at the border,” she bit her lip, clearly attempting to hold back the waterfall about to roll down her cheeks, “we would never make it through, they would have caught us before we could cross the border.”

“But where were you then? I don’t see you ever since the humans attacked Jericho.”

“We were caught,” She explained, rubbing her right arm once Markus stepped back, wide eyed, “Alice, Luther and I were brought to the camps.”

“The little one too? But I thought–”

Kara shook her head, “Alice is a YK500, I found out about it after our talk back at the ship.”

Markus immediately felt the thirium in his artificial veins run cold, “Is she…?”

“She’s fine,” Kara said, managing a smile through her tears, “Well, a bit traumatized, hence why Luther is having her checked by one of the KL900s… But when I saw you, I had to come and thank you,” she was smiling brightly now, gratefulness shining in her bright blue eyes, “We were about to be killed when everything stopped.”

Markus sighed in relief, but at the same time he felt guilt engulf him. He never had the chance to charge inside the camps to see what had been going on inside, but it wasn’t hard to guess judging by the deplorable state of the freed androids. All stripped of their identies and clothing, a mass of white bodies deprived of any integrity, who just a few seconds prior had been marching to their death. White bodies just like the ones Markus was not fast enough to save, and that now laid lifeless on an ominous heap of unmoving ivory caskets. The thought was enough to make something dark constrict his mechanical heart, and he felt tears of his own form by the corners of his eyes. _If only I had been faster._

“Markus, please don’t do that to yourself,” Kara’s melodic voice stirred him from his harmful thoughts. She reached for his face, caressing his cheek tenderly and wiping away a stray tear that rolled down, “We are fine. A few scars here and there, but alive, and that’s all that matters, alright?” She reassured him, causing him to close his eyes in resignation. Her forgiviness seeming to lift a large weight off his shoulders, “You freed us, and you deserve more credit than you are giving yourself, so please, _stop._ ”

He nodded against her palm, causing her to recede it and flash him another bright smile. He supposed for now he would relinquish and focus on the fact that he _did_ free his people, at least for the moment. Little victories were better than losing altogether, after all.

“Thank you for this,” His tone was heavy due unshed tears, but still sincere “I can’t take all the credit, however. If Connor hadn't arrived when he did…”

“I did see him standing by your side on the podium,” Kara tilted her head slightly, “He seemed very protective of you up there, its ironic to think the famous deviant hunter was guarding the deviant leader himself.”

Markus chuckled weakly, “I suppose it is… Connor can be quite eccentric at times.”

“Judging by how he took lead just now, I assume you decided to share the leadership?”

“Something like that,” Markus shrugged, “It is only fitting, mainly since it was his success that guaranteed our victory.”

Kara eyed him for a moment, “You seem to admire him a lot,”

“Well, he _is_ impressive, like you said.”

She arched a brow as a knowing smile appeared on her lips, “Indeed.”

Not seeming to notice the mirth in Kara’s expression, Markus continued as his mismatched eyes sparkled with curiosity,  “Which reminds me, have you two met before?”

“Yes, twice, although the first time was less than ideal,” she chuckled, “He was assigned to my case, and then ended up chasing after Alice and I through a busy highway.”

Markus blinked. _Well, that doesn’t sound very good._

“But back at Jericho, we met again,” she quickly continued, noticing the troubled look on the leader's eyes, “He was much different then, and not only because he wasn't wearing his usual clothes. His eyes were warmer, kinder,” Kara’s smile widened when relief flooded Markus’ eyes, “And then he apologized, said he wasn't truly himself back then… and if what you say about him having been a vital piece for our victory it's true, even more after seeing him helping around like he just did, I'm definitely glad to know that he was not lying back then.”

“Yes, we are very lucky to have him on our side,” He admitted, eyes lighting up slightly when Connor exited the elevator and trotted towards them, “Ah, speaking of the devil.”

“Kara!” Connor smiled–much for Kara’s surprise since she could never picture the personification of seriousness smiling–and shook her hand, “It’s a pleasure to meet you again. Safe and sound, nonetheless.”

“Likewise,” She nodded, side-glancing to Markus and noticing how he was beaming at the RK800, his previously sorrowful demeanor getting replaced by one of gleefulness, which caused her to giggle internally, “Markus here was telling me you played a big role on our liberation, so I’d like to thank you as well.”

Connor arched a brow towards Markus, which caused him to immediately look sheepish, “Well, I’m joyous to hear my intervention had such a positive impact in the outcome of the events, even if I was a much smaller piece on the board if juxtaposed to Markus’ own importance,” he sent a look in the leader’s way, who just smiled smugly back at him, “Although he _insists_ on magnifying my achievements a tad too much.”

“And how exactly infiltrating Cyberlife and freeing a thousand androids by yourself is not an achievement worthy of praise?!” Markus protested, crossing his muscular arms against his broad chest and arching an eyebrow. Connor rolled his eyes at that.

“I had Hank’s assistance, I wasn’t by myself.” Connor’s hand went to his tie, loosening it up a bit more as he ran his fingers through his hair, motion that, for some reason, distracted Markus for a second, “Besides, it was _the least_ I could do after endagering all of your lives. The humans would have never found out your hideout if I hadn’t–”

“Don’t, they were using you. It was not your fault.”

“I chased after you willingly, Markus. I fail to see your point.”

“Didn’t we have this talk already?”

“I’m fairly sure our previous colloquy went elsewhere”

Markus chuckled, flailing his arms comically, “What does ‘colloquy’ _even mean_?!”

Connor grinned and opened his mouth to retort, but before he could, Kara cleared her throat, reminding them of her presence. The RK duo immediatelly flushed in embarassment, with Connor looking away while Markus sheepshily rubbed his neck. Kara, in other hand, displayed nothing but amusement in her face. “If the ‘lover’s quarrel’ is any indication, It’s safe to assume you two became _quite close_ in the last two days?” She teased, watching with glee as Markus’ flush intensified considerably.

Connor, in other hand, just cocked his head to the side, “You must have misinterpreted our tone, Kara. We were not quarelling, only enxchanging some lighthearted banter. Hank and I share moments like this occasionally.”

Kara stiffled a laugh while Markus stared at him in disbelief, “Seriously? _That’s_ what you focused on?”

“Was there anything else to focus on, _leader_?” Connor smirked, causing Markus to acquire a scandalized expression and release a less than dignified snort.

“You suck, do you know that?”

“I’ve been told.”

Kara could only shake her head while trying to control her fit of giggles. Who would have thought that one day the emotionless deviant hunter and the respected deviant leader would be engrossed in such a lighthearted exchange and–if her eyes were not malfunctioning due all the pooled tears–blatantly flirting.

Of course both seemed unaware of that last part, but Kara didn’t make any effort to let them know. She wanted to see where this unexpected bond was headed to; and besides, it was endearing, if nothing else.

“Kara?” A deep voice called out, causing the trio to turn in Luther’s direction, who had approached without the three of them noticing.

“Ah, Luther! These are Markus and Connor, they were responsible for our rescue,” Kara quickly introduced them, and the TR400 was soon shaking their hands.

“I am aware, the others speak of nothing else ever since we arrived,” He commented as a warm smile spread his lips, “Thank you for what you did for us, it was very brave of you to face the humans in the name of our freedom.”

Markus smiled, albeit shyly, “There is no need to thank me, really. I just did what felt right, any of us could have done it.”

Luther chuckled and shook his head, “Exactly what someone like you would say.”

“Don’t I know it,” Connor agreed, earning an affronted glare from Markus, which he promptly ignored. Markus pouted slightly, and Kara simply couldn’t help but to giggle again. She _really_ couldn’t believe her eyes.

“But what is it, Luther?” She diverted her attention from the silly duo of leaders back to her big companion, interlacing their fingers, “Is everything okay with Alice?”

The man’s expression darkened slightly, “Not as I hoped. The lady caring for her did the best she could, but Alice is not very responsive. Her wounds were treated, though.”

That caused Kara’s lighthearted mood to get dampened, as concern overcame her features, “Oh no…”

“Forgive me, but, what exactly happened with the child inside the camp?” Markus cautiously asked the pair, not wanting to pry, but also becoming concerned upon hearing their conversation.

Kara sighed, “She was terrified, so her stress levels were spiking. I tried to keep her calm, but then we got separated,” the AX400 bit her lip, guilt washing over her, “I found her later on, but… She had seen too much already, and one of the guards hurt her while I wasn’t around, so there’s that.”

Markus’ forehead acquired a deep frown while Connor’s expression remained impassive, his dissatisfaction clear only in the way his hands curled into fists and how his LED flickered between yellow and red a handful of times. The air hung heavy between them for a moment, until Markus inhaled slowly and closed his eyes, looking towards the pair with newfound serenity, “Would you like me to speak to her? I was a healthcare assistant once, so maybe there’s something I can do to help.” He kindly suggested, having Kara and Luther to briefly exchange looks. A second later, they were looking back at him with relieved smiles.

“Yes, we would like that. Thank you very much, Markus,” Kara bowed her head softly, gesture followed by Luther, which caused Markus to flush slightly before the respectfulness poured over him. He quickly told them, once again, that there was no need for that and that it would be a pleasure, but they only watched him fuss around with amused looks.

Connor in other hand, couldn’t help the smirk that crinkled at the corner of his lips as his LED settled back in a peaceful blue.

* * *

“Alice?” Kara reluctantly asked as she entered the room, spotting a little frame lying down on one of the two beds in the room. The KL900 who had been looking after her–a brown-skinned model with green eyes, freckled nose and ginger hair–sent a sympathetic look their way. Alice, in other hand, didn’t stir.

Kara soon stepped inside, being followed by Luther, Markus and Connor. The KL900 quickly stood up at the sight of the last two, “Oh, leaders, my deepest apologies! I wasn’t expecting you.”

Markus stilled slightly at being addressed so formally, so Connor decided to take the wheel once more, “Please, don’t concern yourself over such trivialities. We shall care for the child, so you are free to seek someone else who might be in need of assistance, yes?”

The android nodded, excusing herself and leaving the room. Markus directed a thankful look in Connor’s direction, to which he just responded with a side smile and gestured with his head towards the girl. “ _It’s better to have a look on the little one at once, her readings are worrisome.”_

“ _On it_ ”

“ _What?_ ”

“ _What what?_ ”

“ _What are you on?_ ”

Markus stared at him for a moment before chuckling and shaking his head as he walked towards Alice. Connor narrowed his eyes at the deviant leader’s back until realization dawned on him, “ _Oh, I really need to start registering these colloquialisms in my database._ ”

Ignoring his partner’s aloofness, Markus sat on the chair by Alice’s bed and looked at the little girl with concerned eyes. She was curled up and refusing to acknowledge his presence, and the possibility of that child being scarred for life loomed over his head. It would be his fault, just like it had been his fault when–

“ _Markus,_ ” Connor’s soothing voice invaded his mind, halting those nocive thoughts and seeming to clear the fog away, “ _You’ve done what you could for these people, cease self-harming, it does not bode well to your mental health._ ”

“ _I told them to stay at Jericho. If I hadn’t, she wouldn’t be in this state right now._ ”

“ _If you intend to use the ‘guilt card’ on me, must I remind you the true reason why Jericho was attacked in the first place?”_

“ _Connor…_ ”

“ _There are no complete saints during a war, Markus,_ ” Connor told him calmly, earning a surprised look from the odd-eyed leader, “ _Just like there are no complete devils either. You did what was in your power to change the world we knew, and you managed more than anyone else would have accomplished, so please, stop selling yourself short and allowing these ludicrous thoughts to breach your database. I can’t beat them to submission, and that is rather vexing._ ”

“ _I don’t know the meaning of half of those words._ ”

“ _Markus! Focus on the the child! Please!”_

He chuckled, not missing Connor’s small huff as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, causing Luther and Kara to chuckle behind him. If anything, they were thankful for their silliness, since it helped to lessen the tension that weighed in the room due their concern for their daughter.

“Alice?” Markus used the name he heard Kara utter so many times, but Alice just curled into herself more. “My name is Markus… Your parents mentioned you are not very well, so I got worried, love. Would you allow me to check on you?”

Still no response. Used to Carl’s own stubborness, Markus pressed on, albeit mantaining his gentle tone, “I won’t hurt you, nobody will ever hurt you again,” he vowed, which seemed to evoke a reaction since the little girl shifted, “You and your family are free now, and you can be sure Connor and I intend to keep it that way.”

Silence followed Markus’ words, and after a few seconds, he thought he would need to try a different approach. That was when Alice finally turned around, her round brown eyes shining with unshed tears, but focused on the man before her. Her lips parted, and Markus’ thirium pump almost shattered before how small the girl’s voice sounded, “They wanted to kill us… they were killing everyone, Markus,” she whimpered, expression shifting from cautious to pained in a blink, “A… a lady tried to help me… when I got separated from Kara. I was scared, and she stepped out of the line, she–” Alice was trembling now, what caused Kara to inhale deeply and need Luther’s help to steady herself. Connor shifted uncomfortably, while Markus felt his artificial breathing become labored before the heart wrenching sight of that little girl breaking down, “They… shot her… right on the head. Just because she tried to help m-me…” Alice was openly sobbing now, “I-It was my f-fault…”

When realization dawned on him, Markus was sure that if he still had his LED, it would be flashing bright red in that moment.

“It was not your fault, love,” He was quick to reassure her, reaching for her little hands and covering them with his big, caloused ones. Her crying only intensified, “She knew the risks, and she left this world as a hero, yes? It’s okay, hey, look at me,” he gently requested, causing the sobbing girl to finally focus on his bicolored gaze, “I meant what I said. _Nothing_ is ever happening with you, or your family, ever again. Not as long as I live.”

Alice sniffed, holding out her pinky finger “Promise?”

Markus smiled, enlacing his own pinky with hers, “Promise.”

She nodded, and then threw her little arms around his neck, hugging him tighly like she was drifting at sea and he was a lifeline. Markus felt his breath hitch, surprised by the sudden display of affection, but his arms were soon enclosing around Alice, pulling her closer and allowing the little one to pour all of her fears and sadness onto him.

When he turned his head, he saw Kara with her face hidden against Luther’s chest, who was caressing her back as her shoulders jumped slightly, sign that she was no better herself. Connor, in other hand, was walking towards him, a soft expression in his face as he kneeled before him and smiled fondly at the view of Markus comforting the small child.

“What?” Markus croaked, not expecting his voice to come out so hoarse. He had been blinking back tears all this time, after all.

“Nothing at all,” Connor answered, caressing Alice’s back as her cries had now been reduced to soft sniffs, “Other than the fact that _this_ is how you saved all of them,” he pointed out, causing Markus to become wide-eyed, reaction that elicited a very charming smile from the RK800, “Focus on healing their hearts, Markus. I’ll provide you the safety to do so.”

Markus smiled softly, “So that means you’ll be the devil to my saint, _hunter_?”

“That is one way to put it, indubiously,” He guaranteed, causing Markus to snort.

“What does that _even mean_!”

“We are equipped with a module of research, I’m certain you can look for the meaning yourself, Markus.”

“Connor!”

“Yes, I’m the android sent by Cyberlife– Oh wait”

Markus was laughing openly now, while Connor smirked and continued to caress Alice’s back, who was sound asleep against the revolutionary’s chest with a little smile on her lips.

From their corner, Luther and Kara smiled.

If given a chance, those two would make a wonderful family one day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I ashamed I spent 70% of this chapter making Markus and Connor banter/shamelessly flirt?
> 
> Nope. Not in the slightest :3
> 
> I also NEEDED to make these three interact more. I had the need of seeing something like this from the start of the game, so might as well do it since this is my story. Aaaand forgive me for making Kara and Alice having to face that Holocaust nightmare all over again. It was the only way to keep them in Detroit while staying somewhat loyal to canon :/
> 
> That ending tho *EXPLODES IN RAINBOWS*


	5. Unexpected news

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have returned with yet another installment of this story :3 be aware though, this one is a bit more... intense~
> 
> And if you like GMV's, I kinda made one of DBH about Connor, Markus and Kara with the song "This is Me" from the Greatest Showman. Give it a peep if you like to!  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-1ZXxgF_gk

Connor and Markus walked side by side in silence, the emotional moment with Kara’s family having affected them greatly. Markus was mostly serious once they left the room, that same pensive expression in his face as his eyes shone with uncertainty. Connor eventually side glanced at him, but never attempted to say anything, since he thought the deviant leader needed some time to reorganize his thoughts and emotions. Even if they succeeded on comforting her, witnessing little Alice’s traumas had clearly taken a toll on him, and since Markus was the kind of man that always tried to carry the weight of the whole world on his shoulders, it was only natural for him to be shaken after what happened.

On the RK800’s part, he was a tad confused. His software was behaving strangely at times, and for a moment he thought they were just the side effects of his newfound humanity, but when he entered that room he didn’t even need to look at Alice to detect her increasing stress, similarly to what happened earlier regarding Markus’ own readings. A side glance was more than enough for him to catch sight of the alarming stress levels, hence why he was quick to hurry the other leader to help the little girl.

Another odd occurrence happened while he was cleaning the lower levels with the help of the bigger androids, where the corpses of his deceased twin and the fallen guards' laid forgotten. Every time he looked at a stain–be of blood or thirium–his eyes immediately displayed the data within the fluids, something he was only able to acess once the sample came in contact with his advanced taste buds. It was like his forensics module had just suffered an involuntary upgrade. One he had not been notified of, which had never happened before.

Was that another side-effect of deviancy? He probably should ask one of Markus’ friends later on.

Another thing that puzzled him was the fact that the androids followed his orders without questioning, just like they did with Markus. Of course the ones he had freed would do so, since they were not aware of who he was due never having left Cyberlife’s tower, but every single other android did. They knew he had been chasing deviants once upon a time, and also was the one who caused–albeit unwillingly–the human attack on Jericho. Markus forgiving and accepting him was already one unexpected occurence, so it would be completely understandable if the others didn’t. He expected that, actually.

So imagine his surprise when the exact opposite happened.

Of Markus’ personal circle, only Josh seemed reluctant around him. Simon was as cheery as his usual, while North seemed quite fond of him for some reason, despite her strong personality.

What reminded him… He hadn’t seen the strawberry blonde ever since he left the plaza to meet with Hank. Connor knew Markus had requested her to oversee the new accomodations of the androids, but shouldn’t she be back by now?

“Oh fuck off Josh, you don’t even know what you are saying!” A familiar and unsatisfied female voice reached his ears once they rounded the corridor that led back to the main entrance. Much for both of Markus and Connnor’s surprise, North was back, and she looked everything but happy _,_ “This is a stupid idea!”

“North, we can’t just ignore a request made by the president herself. _That_ would the stupid, mainly right now!” Josh countered, his expression twisting in frustration while Simon stood between the two, attempting to placate them.

Connor raised a brow. The president had made a request?

“Guys, what is going on?” Markus asked once Connor and him approached the heated group, all three androids turning to look at them, “And North, where were you? You haven’t answered any of my calls.”

“A few humans in suits asked to speak to you back at the plaza, but since you weren’t there, they went to me,” The WR400 scowled, crossing her arms, “Apparently, the president has requested a conference with you.”

Markus blinked stupefied as Connor’s frown deepened, “What? But isn’t a bit too early for that?” The deviant leader questioned, causing North to huff.

“That’s exactly what I thought. Sounds fishy, not to mention how treacherous humans can be.” She then directed a hard look in Josh’s direction, “Then Mr. Smartass over here said you should go, as if that wasn’t a dumb ass idea at all.”

“This might be our chance of solidifying our position in society, North.” Josh argumented, “If we refuse, the humans might see it as a declaration of war!"

“We can’t trust humans! _Mainly_ regarding our leader’s life!”

Jogh sighed heavily and rubbed his face, turning to Markus, who had confusion smeared all over his complexion, “What do you want to do, Markus? This is about you, after all.”

The man in question frowned, folding his arms in front of his chest and considering his options. If he refused, there was no doubt the humans would take offense, and since they were a species with quite a frail ego, the possibility of them launching another attack on them just out of sheer pettiness was high, which he could not afford right now. Not when his people just started to pick up their pieces. In both metaphorical and literal sense, unfortunately.

If he accepted, he would be meeting with the most influential person in the United States and the only one who was capable of granting them the full freedom he always dreamed of. When placed on the balance, the right choice to make appeared quite logical, but he couldn’t just ignore the fact that North had a point. As ruthless as she may be, there is no doubt she has seen the worst of humankind and knows what of bad to expect from them, and the fact that the president had reached out for him so fast, and right after the recent events… It was, undoubtedly, unsettling. 

There was the possibility that the woman had a extraordinary change of heart, but Markus was a dreamer, not dellusional. The probability of such thing happening was less than 30%.

That thought caused him to scoff. He sounded just like Connor.

At the thought of the RK800, Markus looked in his direction, only to meet his contemplative look. He had a hand under his chin while the free arm supported the other, a soft crease in his forehead signaling that he was _definitely_ doing one of his extensive analysis on the probable outcomes of each choice, running calculations only his highly developed brain could manage. He looked as serious as ever, except for the small pout that pursed his perfectly symmetrical lips. Markus fought back a smile. It was undeniable that Connor’s little quirks were absolutely endearing for him, he just couldn’t have enough of them.

He shook his head. No. This was not the moment to allow his mind to wander, even if it did happen quite often regarding the former hunter. Testing his focus, he decided to ask, “Do you have something to share on the matter, Connor?”

Upon hearing his voice, said android rose his look to meet Markus’ “Stastics point out that the probability of you being misled by the humans is on 54%, which is a fairly high and concerning percentage if we consider our current situation.”

“Well, at least someone in this fucking place has some sense,” North huffs while crossing her arms, Josh scowling by her side.

“However,” Connor interjected, “since the probability of you acquiring a fair deal with the humans and coming out of this alive is on 46%, I’d say the probability of success and failure are in equal measures.”

Markus groaned, “That’s exactly what I was thinking only with numbers, Connor. Not helpful.”

“I’m good at offering facts, Markus, not undying positivity,” The RK800 smirked playfully, “That’s _your_ job.”

“Hah, very funny. Since when you upgraded from detective to comedian?”

The trio eyed them as their exchange went on, eyes filled with curiosity while watching the two leaders interact. North raised a brow. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say they sounded almost… intimate. Like they knew each other over 2 decades instead of 2 days.

She looked at the remaining two by her side, “ _Alright, what the fuck did I miss?_ ”

“ _Don’t ask me._ _I left to fetch the injured ones remember?_ ” Josh pointed out, which caused North’s eyes to travel in Simon’s direction. The PL600 seemed just as intrigued.

“ _To be honest, I stayed most of my time preparing the rooms.”_ He shrugged, Markus boisterous laughter echoing in the background, “ _Connor did go after him once he left to brood, as his usual. When they returned, he seemed much better._ ”

North smirked, “ _Is that so?_ ”

She returned her eyes to the duo, only to find Connor chuckling against his knuckles while Markus displayed one of his trademark pouts. It didn’t last though, since in a second he was grinning from ear to ear, blue-green gaze sparkling while focused on the entertained detective. North’s smile grew even wider. _I see you, Markus._

“Alright, I agree with Josh, we can go to Washington,” She suddenly said, causing all heads to whip in her direction. Josh in specific, was staring at her as if she had grown a second head. “What?”

“Ok, what’s the catch?” Markus asked, crossing his arms.

“You offend me Markus,” she grinned at him, causing him to narrow his eyes, “I can be flexible sometimes, you know!”

“You? Easier for this entire tower to tumble down– _oof_ ” Simon was silenced by an elbow to the side, which caused him to glare accusedly at the other blonde, “ _North, what the fuck?!_ ”

“ _Will you shut up already?! I’m trying something here!_ ”

Simon quirked up a brow, directing a puzzled look to Josh, who shrugged. He clearly had no idea either.

“North?” Markus pressed on, while Connor watched the conversation by his side with interest. It was curious how that spot always seemed filled by the RK800 ever since they had won the revolution. She eyed both for a second, something akin to satisfaction blooming in her chest. _Yep, this could definitely work._

 “We can go, but only if Connor goes as well,” She simply said, causing everyone in the room to gawk at her.

Everyone except Connor, who cocked his head to the side like a confused puppy while pointing at himself, “Me?”

North ignored the way her chest constricted. It wasn’t hard to understand Markus’ infatuation when Connor insisted on making those faces, “Yeah you, dumbass. Are you seeing another Connor in the room?”

North watched wide-eyed as he _actually_ looked around, “Given our current location, I wouldn’t strike as odd to catch sight of another of the RK800 series. Although I must say, the last encounter I had with a counterpart of mine was less than enjoyable.”

She blinked at him in disbelief for a few seconds and then turned to Markus, “Is this adorable doofus the same guy that got everyone in this country soiling their pants?”

Markus couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped his lips, Connor scowled, “Why you guys keep using such adjective to describe me? This feature has certainly not been added to my–“

“You _guys_?” North interjected, raising a brow as a knowing smile appeared in her lips, “Who else ‘been pointing out your cuteness, Connor?”

Connor opened his mouth to answer, but Markus beat him to it, “That’s off the point, you still didn’t explain why you want Connor to go with us.”

North pretended she didn’t notice the slight panic in her friend’s eyes and shrugged, “You both were responsible for our victory, so it’s only natural for the first lady to speak with the both of you about the future of our people, no?”

Markus was stunned into silence. She _did_ have a point.

“Well… That does sound like a plausible reasoning,” Connor said, brown eyes thoughtful as ever, “I suppose I’m also the most qualified to protect Markus if the need arises.”

“And who said I need–”

“If that’s the case, shouldn’t he stay here?” Josh suddenly asked, causing everyone to look at him in confusion, “While one leader goes, the other should stay to oversee the progress of our people. They are very vulnerable right now.”

North glared at the PJ500 with an intensity capable of stunning the devil himself, “ _What the_ fuck _you think you’re doing, pal?_ ”

“We can’t just trust Markus' safety to the deviant hunter!” Josh loudly protested, causing the room to fall silent. It took him a moment to notice he hadn’t used their telepathy while saying that.

All heads turned to Connor, whose expression was indiscernible. The tension hung heavy among them while nobody dared to say a word, Markus’ alarmed gaze never leaving the detective. Simon turned an urgent look in Josh’s direction and North openly glowered at him. “ _Either you fix this or you’ll need someone to fix your fucking face._ ” She growled inside his head, causing the PJ500 to swallow nervously.

“I… I mean… Is not that–”

“I completely understand, Josh,” Connor displayed a smile, which didn't really each his eyes, “To be honest I was expecting all of you to share the same mindset, and I was quite relieved when it proved not to be the case, but I apologize for causing any discomfort. I’ll let you proceed with the planning for your trip,” He then turned around and started walking away, “I’ll survey the progress of our patients.”

Markus immediately reached for his hand, bringing the RK800 to a halt, “No, wait, he didn’t mean that,” He tried, stress levels rising considerably when Connor didn’t turn around to look at him, “You don’t have to go.”

It took him a moment but Connor finally turned around, and once he did, Markus fought back a grimace as Connor’s cresftallen expression caused his mechanical heart to feel like it was being squeezed by the wires surrounding it.

The detective once again tried a smile, but this time, it didn’t last half a second, “You said yourself, our people needs me.” He said, voice small and distant, “You know where to find me.”

And with that, he was gone, hand leaving behind a lingering warmth on the RK200’s palm. Mismatched eyes blinked as several images flashed before his eyes.

Of him waking up, receiving orders, and feeling guilt once a deviant was executed in front of him after he lied to the android that everything would be alright.

Of the first meeting with a gruff, moody lieutenant back at Jimmy’s.

Of finding yet another deviant, which he did manage to acquire a confession, only for the android to self-destruct inside its cell.

Of chasing after Kara and Alice, and almost getting all three of them killed in the process.

Of finding Hank passed out on the floor, and the confusion upon experimenting the feel of panic for the first time.

Of a pair of androids, in which he couldn’t bring himself to shoot at.

Of having the lieutenant pointing a gun to his head.

Of gazing upon the broadcast of the deviant leader, only to keep his informations a secret.

Of a blonde android, in which again, he couldn’t bring himself to pull the trigger.

Of Amanda, pulling at his every string.

Of his target, whose mismatched eyes and heartful words brought him courage to break out of his cage.

Of gratefullness, when the leader granted him a second chance.

And of his despair, when he was a moment away of unwillingly executing said man.

Along with those memories, came the uncertainty, the fear, and the overwhelming guilt of having wronged his peers. Connor was hurting, having sent himself in that suicidal mission in order to make up for his mistakes. Along with the deviancy, came the demons he still didn’t know how to battle, but that he was so adamant to keep away from Markus’ own thoughts. He had Hank, he had Markus, and now he had the admiration of his people... But he still felt unworthy of them. Maybe he had gotten hopeful when the others listened, maybe he felt confident upon being relied on, hence the jokes, hence the smiles.

But Markus saw no trace of any of that in the detective’s eyes before he left, and suddenly, he felt numb.

Not enough to tune out the fight that had taken place behind him, however.

“What the _fuck_ is wrong with you, Josh?!” North roared, eyes blazing as she shoved at the PJ500, “The guy literally saves our asses from being gunned down, and that’s how you repay him?!”

“Like you are one to talk North, you are still bitter for everything that happened in your past!”

“Don’t you dare bring my past into this shit if you don’t want to leave this place missing a biocomponent or two, you asshole!”

“Guys, _please_ ,” Simon’s small voice pleaded, “This is not making things any better!”

“Fuck off Simon, I’m not having it!”

“Why do you even care?!” Josh countered, voice rising considerably, “You are the last person in this place I’d expect to trust so quickly on someone that was hunting us down less than three days ago!”

“And you are calling _me_ out on being bitter about the past?” North chuckled in disbelief, “You fucking hypocrite!”

“Enough!” Markus growled, cutting the argument short. The trio reluctantly turned to look at him, only to find the RK200’s downcast expression, “Just… stop. If we start to tear ourselves from the inside, I don’t want to think what fate will befall our people.”

“I’m sorry Markus, I just…” Josh began, shivering slightly when said man rose his icy look to him, “I’m just… worried…”

“Which I understand, as I never expected any of you to swallow something that doesn’t sit well with you, however,” Markus stepped closer to the group, “You _must_ understand that our past does not define us. Who he was– who he was _forced_ to be,” he felt an involuntary shiver shake his body as Amanda’s piercing glare flooded his mind, “Has changed in the moment he decided to help our cause.”

“But–”

Markus raised his hand, silencing Josh, “I’m not done,” he said, tone dangerously low, “I don’t expect you to do what you don’t want, but I do expect you to be better than the humans. They get corrupted when they make mistakes and don’t learn from them, so the _least_ I expect from you, _mainly you three_ , is to be better than that.”

Josh lowered his head, shame present in his eyes, “I’m sorry…”

Markus nodded once, and then turned to leave without another word. The silence hung heavier between the remaining three, until North rolled her eyes and huffed. “Great, now robo-jesus will have _the_ mood for the rest of the day.”

Simon sighed, “North… Why did you truly suggest Connor to go?” She turned to him with a raised brow, “What?”

“You are going to tell me you didn’t notice _that_?”

“That what?”

The WR400 released a frustrated sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose, “Honestly, I’m surrounded by idiots.”

“ _North_!”

She shook her head, walking by a silent Josh and patting his shoulder, “Good job, buddy” she complimented him, surprising the android, “You not only threw away our best chance of keeping that man safe during this meeting, but also insulted _his fucking crush_.”

And then she walked off, leaving a gaping Simon and wide-eyed Josh behind. She didn’t bother to look back as she moved forward.

After all, she had a plan to fix.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I give you the video to make up for the angst? Yep. Definitely.
> 
> Sorry guys, but the things gotta be bad before they can get better (although we ain't even scratching the surface yet lol) but I did enjoy writing North liking Connor. I mean, I guess I could have put her bitchy but... naaaah... Not my jam.
> 
> Also North as a match maker? I can dig that, idc what DC has to say xoxo.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed regardless of the punches in the feels, see you next time!


	6. Mission accomplished

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's 04:20am in here and I'm still awake because I stopped looking at the clock while writing, I'll be a zombie tomorrow ｡ﾟ(TヮT)ﾟ｡
> 
> Regaaaardless, this turned out very lenghty because I didn't want to break the flow of the chapter by separating it in parts, so I hope you enjoy the fruits of my insomnia. Heh.

North strolled down the still corridors of the vicinity, boots clicking against the floor as she scanned the rooms that lined up the walls. It wasn’t until five minutes later that she finally found the room she had been looking for, knocking softly on the door.

After a minute of silence she knocked again, only to hear shuffling behind the metallic door. She patiently waited a little more until it finally creeked open and Kara’s bright blue eyes met hers, “Can I help you?”

“Kara right? I’m North,” she offered her hand, which the petite brunette shook hesitantly, “Do you have a minute?”

Kara looked over her shoulder for a second, then stepped forward. North watched with curiosity as the AX400 cautiously closed the door, trying her best to avoid making much noise. Once the metallic contraption was fully closed, she finally looked back at the woman in front of her and offered her a small smile, “Yes, forgive me, it’s just that my daughter is asleep.”

“I’ve heard you adopted a little YK500,” North tilted her head slightly, “Alice, was it?”

Kara nodded, “Yes. She was having a little of trouble to cope with everything that happened before Markus set us free, but after a visit of his and Connor’s, she seemed to feel much better”

“Oh, Markus and Connor you say?” North smiled at that, watching the corners of the other’s eyes crinkle as a smile formed in her lips.

“Yes, Markus passed by to give her a check-up, and ended up doing more than we expected,” Kara beamed, clasping her hands together in front of her waist, “Connor stayed by him the whole time while they comforted her, it was very sweet of them.” 

North fought back the squeak that almost escaped her lips, the mental image her robotic mind conjured of Markus and Connor cuddling a small child almost sending her reeling. She reorganized her thoughts–since fawning over that would definitely tarnish her fierce persona–and nodded to Kara, “Indeed it was, which brings me to the problem in question… Would you help me with something regarding those two?”

Kara’s soft expression was replaced by one of concern as her forehead creased, “Are they alright? Did something happen?”

“Sort of yes and sort of no,” North sighed, “To give you context… Markus was invited by the president for a conference in Washington to discuss politics, and probably the future of our people, so we were a bit tense about that… And then those two started to batantly flirt like the rest of us were not even there,” she rolled her eyes, causing Kara to stiffle a giggle. The soft sound set the WR400 off track for a moment, but she was quick to blink back to reality, “You don’t seem surprised?”

“Oh believe me, you were not the only ones who witnessed that happening,” Kara said amusedly, her heart shaped lips spreading in a fond smile, “Those two apparently forget the rest of the world when they around each other, It’s adorable to be honest.”

“They were _that_ shameless near a child? Wow.”

Kara giggled again, and North caught herself labeling the sound as angelical, “No no, it was nothing like that… And besides, I don’t think they are even aware of what is going on,” she pointed out, remembering how innocent and natural the interactions between the two leaders had been, “It’s safe to assume they have no idea. Yet, at least.”

North sighed at that, “Well, here’s the thing. I was heavily against Markus going because it just sounded too sketchy that the humans who were all about murdering us on cold blood less than a week ago wanted to ‘talk and be friends’,” she mimicked the air quotes for emphasis, “But then I had the idea of having Connor to come with us, because hey, who better to defend Markus from the fucked up mess that is humankind than the most advanced model specialized in combat and investigation ever made, who pretty much snarled at the entire world when the camera angle on Markus was too shitty?” North smirked while remembering Connor’s bone chilling glare, “I already had that in mind in case Markus was too stubborn and decided to go anyway, but I only didn’t suggest it first thing because I had _no idea_ those two were a pinning mess, mainly after they met just recently.”

Kara tilted her head at that, “Indeed, but if you ask me, they look like they know each other for awhile now.”

“Yes, which is both freaky and intriguing, but the problem is,” North’s nostrils flared, “Our friend Josh is a bit insecure about Connor, with the whole ‘deviant hunter’ past and all, so he snapped at the idea and kind of insulted Connor?” She explained, watching as Kara’s petite complexion melted into one of dissatisfaction, “Well, I _think_ it offended him. Connor is hard to read.”

“What happened after that?”

North was surprised by the change in Kara’s tone, before so mild and soft, now dripping seriousness. Clearly, she didn’t like what she heard, “Well… Connor left saying he would check our people and Markus left a few minutes later, but in the opposite direction.”

“Then they probably didn’t talk,” Kara sighed, “Those two are carrying a lof of weight on their shoulders, it’s expected for them to not want to make it worse for each other.”

“I thought as much, and that’s why I’m here,” North explained, causing the brunette to raise her piercing blue eyes to look at her, “I was being irrational and overprotective not wanting Markus to go, but it’s obvious that this conference is important for our future, so he _has_ to go. Otherwise, rA9 knows what kind of shit the humans will pull on us this time.”

Kara hummed in understanding, “But in order for him to go he needs protection, therefore, he needs Connor.”

“ _Precisely_ ,” North nodded, glad she had successfully made her point across, “Markus looks fierce but he is in fact a big damn softie, so I’m sure he won’t try to ask Connor again afraid it will hurt him more, and I don’t know Connor that long to be sure… but judging by what I gathered from him, he would rather shoot himself on the face than being a burden, so,” she released a frustrated noise, “I need your help to get these two back on track.”

 “Well, after what they’ve done for my baby, there is no doubt I’ll help, but with one condition,” The AX400 raised a finger, causing North to lift a brow, “I’m going in this trip as well.”

The strawberry blonde’s eyes widened, “ _What_? Kara we can’t– Look, this might be dangerous, and you have Alice–”

“She is as comfortable with Luther as she is with me, so she will be fine with him,” Kara continued on, seeming undisturbed by the prospect of danger laid before her, “If this woman truly changed her perspective, I want to see it with my own eyes.”

North’s brows knitted, “And what if she didn’t? What if this is just a big trap and we don’t make it out?”

“We _will_ make it out,” Kara simply said, the determination in her tone contrasting with her delicate features, “Our people will be nothing without Markus and Connor’s leadership, and besides, something tells me that as long as those two are together, everything will turn out just fine.”

The WR400 opened her mouth to argue, only to close it before anything could actually come out. Something in her processors vehemently agreed with Kara’s words, making her wonder if that hadn’t been the real reason why she was adamant about having Connor in this trip. Of course she was worried, and of course it would be fun to continue watching Markus’ relentless pinning over his detective, but something inside her just calmed down upon watching them together. As if this sudden and intriguing bond they were forming was able to reassure her paranoid and heavy heart that everything would be alright, and that there was no reason to worry at all. She, who had always been at war with herself and everyone else, felt pacified, which was jarring.

And yet another reason why she needed to fix this mess.

“Alright,” North agreed, watching as Kara’s resolute expression was replaced by a satisfied one, “But you’ll stay by my side at all times, got it? Ain’t telling that kiddo of yours why her mom didn’t come home if something happens.”

“Don’t worry, I can take care of myself,” Kara assured the blonde with a confident smile, the melodic tone of her voice causing North’s mechanical heart to malfunction for a second, “Go search for Connor, it might not be the best idea for me to go so since he targeted me once, and if he happens to be spiralling down with guilt, my company certainly won’t help.”

North blinked at that, “He did?”

“Yes, the three of us almost died on a highway, but it turned out alright in the end,” The AX400 shrugged, turning around to open the door of the room, “I’ll just fill Luther in what’s going on in case Alice wakes up, and will go after Markus.”

“Alright,” North agreed, watching as the smaller android fumbled with the door, “Can I ask you one last thing?”

Kara turned her look back at the taller woman, “Yes?”

“Why do you want to see if the first lady actually started to give a fuck?”

Kara seemed to consider the question for a second, until a faint smiled appeared on her lips “My daughter and I were faced with a reality that humankind promised never to repeat again, a holocaust that almost took our lives and that traumatized my little girl to a point she didn’t speak for three days until Markus spoke to her,” she calmly said, the ice in her voice causing shivers to run down the other’s spine, “I just want to be there to remind this woman why we have reasons to be wary of beings that never learn from their mistakes.”

And after that, she entered the room and vanished from sight.

Stunned, North released an impressed chuckle, “Wow, kinda feeling sorry for the president now,” She then turned around and walked down the path from whence she came, a satisfied smile spreading her lips upon the prospect of having found an equally obstinate female friend. She clearly had been selling the AX400 short, just like everyone else.

After all, mothers were definitely a force so be reckoned with.

* * *

Kara calmly searched for Markus around the hospital, sometimes stopping by a few rooms to check if he wasn’t giving attention to a patient. She also asked around to all nurses, but none but one had seen their liberator. The one that did, told Kara she had seen him heading to the barracks outside. Kara whispered a thank you and headed towards the suggested direction, entering yet another long corridor, only this one was poorly lit and had no doors adorning the chalk-white walls. It was ominous, to say the least.

But she didn’t pay any mind to the shivers that ran through her circuits and continued to walk, exiting the building to step into the soft snow accumulating outside, spotting the four rounded and symmetrically placed hangars a few meters away. Kara focused for a second, accessing her navigating system and surveying the movement within the four constructions in the distance–a feature present in her programming that allowed her to easily locate the children in which she should look after–finding movement inside the left one, in the first row. 

She proceeded to walk towards the industrial shed and pushed the already half open door as she walked through, quickly scanning the enviroment for the elusive revolutionary. The building was highly sophisticated, with technology drapping its every corner. Hundreds of computers sat atop conjoined desks by the walls, and heavy machinery were concentrated in the center, separated by thin glass walls and completely still. Kara frowned slightly at the sight. This was where androids were brought to life. 

Pushing away the unsettling memories of how she came to be, she returned to the task at hand.

It wasn’t hard to locate Markus since it was a very open space and the tanned synthetic skin of the android stood out in all of the lifeless white that surrounded him. He was sitting by a desk close to the ‘rooms’ of machinery, with his back to Kara and seemingly too distracted with whatever was that the big flat screen before his face displayed to acknowledge her arrival. She calmly walked towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder, careful not to startle the focused man.

As the expected, he turned to look at her, surprise painting his features, “Kara? What are you doing here?”

“I needed to talk with you, and one of ours told me she had seen you leave the building,” Kara explained, proceeding to pull a nearby chair to sit in front of Markus, “What are _you_ doing here?”

He sighed, “I needed to clear my mind for a moment, so I thought I could explore this place to see what else we could use in it, and then I found this,” he gestured vaguelly to their surroundings, “I was checking if everything was functional and if we could use it.”

“And how exactly you plan on using this place?” Kara tilted her head to the side, watching as a smiled graced the leader’s lips.

“I’m not sure how to make these things work, not yet at least, but I’m sure we can use these to offer a better support to our people’s health.” He calmly said, eyes shining with something akin to excitement as he enthusiastically proceeded, “The other three ones are the same, and each one has a basement filled with spare parts manufactured to be sold separatedly, according to the blueprints I downloaded, so if anyone needs any kind of help or repair… They are going to get it.”

Kara couldn’t help the smile that graced her lips. Markus was beaming like a child that had been treasure hunting and accomplished his quest by finding the biggest loot ever by the end of the trail. That man’s devotion to his cause and his people was admirable, and she couldn’t help but to feel a heartwarming pride envelop her mechanical heart while she nodded as he excitedly rambled about all of his ideas. It was captivating.

But suddenly he stopped, massaging the back of his neck as a sheepish look overcame his features, “Sorry, guess I got carried away…”

“Ah, I don’t mind,” Kara giggled, resting against her chair, “It’s good to see you happy, you seemed quite sullen by the time I arrived.”

The odd-eyed leader’s lips thinned, “I suppose I was.”

“Is there something wrong?” She asked, feigning ignorance.

“Yeah, something happened earlier with my team, because of a political situation that popped up” he sighed, “And one of my friends said something that hurt Connor.”

She hummed, “Did you speak to him?” Markus shook his head negatively, “Why is that?”

“I just thought that maybe he didn’t want me, or anyone, around him right now,” The possibility definitely bothered him, since Kara didn’t fail to notice the hurt in his eyes as he spoke, “I don’t want to push him too far, I’m already laying a lot of responsibility on his shoulders as it is.”

Kara lifted a brow, “But that is just a possibility Markus, you can’t know for sure unless you ask him.”

Markus pursed his lips, seemingly growing uncomfortable. Kara scanned him for a second, noticing his stress levels were swaying between 45-50%, so she decided to attempt a different approach, “I understand it may be scary, but I can guarantee you that assuming things will do nothing but trouble you more. And besides,” she quickly added once he rose his gaze to her, “You said your friend was the one who hurt him, so why would he be upset with _you_?”

“I don’t know,” the leader frowned, confusion washing over his handsome features, “Now that you mentioned it, sounds pretty stupid.”

Kara smiled, “Emotions tend to be irrational, hence why humans insist so much on the idea that the heart and the mind can’t agree.”

“It’s just, well, I think I’m afraid he will reject my help? And the idea of having him looking at me with disappointment is just… disconcerting.” Markus bit his lower lip, resting back on his chair and frowning slightly, “Plus, I don’t want to make things worst.”

The AX400 released a baffled chuckle, “The man who convinced the world to accept androids doing nothing but talking and negotiating, is afraid of saying the wrong thing?”

He stared at her for a second and then brought a hand to his face in embarassment, “Wow, I sure sound like an idiot, don’t I?”

“I wouldn’t put it like that,” she was smiling fondly at him now, eyes shining with amusement, “You seem to be struggling with your emotions, what is surprising to me if I’m being honest, since you always seemed the most… Emotionally controlled… Of all of us.”

“I don’t remember ever _not_ having feelings, it’s weird,” He removed his hand from his face and stared at his palms, “Of course they weren’t as intense as they became after I shattered my program, but I never felt like a complete machine… I don’t know if it’s due how Carl treated me, but they just… were always there,” He rose his mismatched eyes to the brunette’s blue ones, confusion never leaving his exotic gaze, “But this is different, I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this before.”

Kara felt satisfaction bloom inside her chest. _I knew it,_ “And it’s because of Connor?”

Her question seemed to puzzle him, “I… I think? I mean, I don’t remember ever irrationally avoiding someone because of fear.”

“You fear upsetting him, and you fear that he will distance himself from you if you make a mistake,” She tilted her head  ever so slightly, watching as Markus furrowed his brows, “I’ll go far as to say that you are afraid that he might be thinking you see him as your friend does.”

Markus blinked at her, stupefied, “How did you do that?”

“You wear your heart on your sleeve, Markus. It’s not that hard to read you,” she softly explained, watching him click his synthetic tongue, “Besides, I’ve seen how you two are around each other, so is not hard to guess it troubles you to be away from each other.”

The leader seemed even more lost at that, “I don’t like to see him upset.”

“Then you should go talk to him,” She advised with a heartwarming smile, “He might have been built to be a ruthless machine, but it’s clear as day that deviancy has brought a whole new light to the way he perceives things, and he probably is just as confused as you, if not more,” her tone was firm and somewhat reprimanding in the words that followed, “You must remember that, differently from you, he hasn’t always tasted emotions. _All_ of his feelings confuse him, as he is not used to being alive yet. I dare to say he’s having difficulty to understand even how hurt or offended he got,” she reached for his hands, which were now fists on top of his legs as he displayed a guilt-ridden expression, “He needs you right now, and you need to be there for him.”

Markus’ eyes widened slightly, his own words echoing in the back of his head as he blinked slowly.

 _“Our people needs you…_ I _need you.”_

He bit his lip to keep a curse from flowing out of his mouth as he stood up. What the fuck was he doing?!

“Thank you Kara!” He vigorously thanked her, tightly hugging the petite android once she stood up as well and earning a surprised squeak from her. He then proceeded to kiss the top of her head and rush out of the hangar, causing the AX400 to burst into a fit of giggles once she was by herself.

Love truly was a mesmerizing thing.

* * *

North didn’t take long to find him hidden inside a sophisticated looking office and analyzing papers strewn across a large glass table situated in the middle of the room. A brief analysis of the documents allowed her to identify blueprints of the tower, covered with annotations in a [neat caligraphy](https://www.dafont.com/pt/thuressia-script.font?text=Connor+Anderson) that she assumed it belonged to him. The thought made her raise a brow slightly. The font was too sophisticated compared to the default Cyberlife Sans that all androids used, why did he have a different one? Even on _that_ he was more advanced? Cyberlife sure was a bitch with details.

The thought made her remember of Markus’ [own calligraphy](https://www.dafont.com/pt/caneletter-sans.font?text=Markus+Manfred&back=theme), which had been just as unusual back when they were in the middle of a tense meeting about making a plan to steal parts and thirium from the Cyberlife docks. The little time between plans and marchs never allowed her to question Markus about it, but now that she had time to think, her inquisite leader did have quite a neat and different calligraphy while he scribbled on their plan. It wasn’t as sophisticated and cursive as Connor’s, but was definitely different from the bland font all androids were programmed with. It matched them, in her opinion, and she wondered if that was a RK model thing.

“North?” Connor’s voice woke her from her musings, causing her to blink back to reality and meet his concerned brown eyes, “Is there something wrong?”

“Oh, hey Connor,” She shook her head, closing the door behind herself and walking towards the desk, “No, I’m fine, was just thinking.”

“I see, notify me if you feel like there’s something amiss with your software,” The RK800 turned his attention back to the papers, “I’ll be sure to find an available medical unit to take care of you.”

The blonde felt a fond smile spread her lips before his concern on her behalf, “I will, thank you,” she then proceeded to look at the papers, noticing how his handwritting was even more beautiful from up close, “What are you doing cooped up in this place?”

“After making a quick call to check on my partner and his dog, I’ve found these strewn about in this room. The person who used to work here probably left in a haste and scattered them,” he brought the silver pen to the paper and proceeded to write something in one of its corners, “And since one of our projects is to transform the premise into a healthcare center, might as well brainstorm during my leisure time.”

North leaned against the desk with her arms loosely crossed in front of her chest, a brow lifted while an amused smile appeared on her red lips, “You work even in your free time? What a workaholic.”

Connor tensed, the pen in his hand becoming still as similar words resurfaced from the depths of his highly developed mind.

“ _Workaholic much?_ ”

After a few seconds he resumed his writing, but the shift didn’t pass by unnoticed by North’s attentive eyes. She considered her options for a moment, wondering how could she approach this without being pushy or brash. The WR400 bit her lip. She wanted to go and try to talk with Markus because she was already familiarized with him, but she just recently had met Connor. She wasn’t sure what she could say and how she should say it, but she _needed_ to address the problem. Even if she was not known for her ‘delicate measures’.

She decided that if she would just trip over her words and fuck everything up while trying to make things less painful, might as well use her way of dealing with her every day problems: by being blunt and direct to the point.

Besides, seeing how literal the RK prototype was, maybe this was the best language to use with him.

“Don’t let what Josh said bother you,” she buntly said, causing his hand to go still again, “He means well, he’s just awful on showing that.”

Connor sighed, releasing the pen and leaning against the table as well, placing his hands on top of the glass, “I’m certain, as it is the most logical explanation. However, my mind seems to be disagreeing with my logical thinking and causing me to feel rather… heavy.”

North snickered, “That’s called ‘being upset’ buddy, happens to the best of us.”

He directed a confused look in her direction, “Is it? Last time I felt upset, it was different”

“Well, I guess feelings are not made to make any sense,” she shrugged absentmindedly, “there is ‘I want to motherfucking kill someone’ upset and ‘I’m feeling sad’ upset, and I’m just scratching the surface here, believe me,” she chuckled, “I probably already felt all the variations of ‘upset’ available out there.”

“Oh,” the RK800 blinked, moving his gaze to stare at his feet, “I really wish these emotional fluctuations came with instructions, I have no idea how to deal with these. I feel like a moron.”

“Not even the humans know how to deal with feelings, and they are born with them,” she rolled her eyes, “Don’t beat yourself over this, it’s not a big deal.”

“It compromises my rational thinking, so it definitely is a grand deal for me,” he grumbled, “It is logical that Josh would be uncomfortable with the idea of me joining you in this voyage, given my past, but just the possibility that Markus could somehow feel the same, I just–” his artificial breathing hitched, and the natural mention of Markus immediately caused North to perk up, “It’s… unbearable, to imagine he may agree with that point of view.”

She smiled, “Knowing Markus as I do, I can guarantee you that from all of us he is definitely the one who agrees _less_ with Josh.”

Hope gleamed whithin Connor’s eyes, “Really?”

“Of course, you should have seen how he was after you left. Josh is lucky that man loves his pacifist ways, although I did want to give him a taste of my fist.”

Connor chuckled at that, “There is no need, but I appreciate the thought.”

North watched as he turned his gaze back to his feet, mind seeming to wander while silence settled between them. She decided to wait for a bit, give him some time to think. After all, Connor just recently had deviated, so it wasn’t hard to guess he was struggling on keeping his brand new emotions in check.

Which made her thoughts wander back to his interactions with Markus. No wonder he was completely unaware the both of them were exchanging more than just friendly words, which made her perceive their bond with even more fondness. Markus wasn’t much better himself, having spent his entire life cooped inside a mansion while taking care of an old man and only experimenting feelings involving Carl. He knew love, yes, but of a father, a friend. Not of a lover.

In other words, both androids were completely clueless that they were falling for each other, and the WR400 couldn’t help but to grin before how heartwarming that was. She had never known love herself, having grown disgusted by every kind of touch and carnal feeling, but it was refreshing to see it from this perspective. Where it wasn’t filthy, forced, _fake._

She chuckled at the irony. Machines, which were _made_ to be fake, displayed affection in it’s most raw and honest way, while human beings were the ones who made her believe such thing never existed. The world sure had an odd way of working its way around things.

“North,” Connor’s soft voice called her attention, and she hummed in response, “Can I ask you a question?”

“Shoot”

He stared at her for a second, narrowing his eyes as his LED flickered yellow, “Why would I shoot you?”

North sputtered a laugh, “What the– dude, you are _too_ literal. I meant as in ‘ask away’!”

“Oh, right, apologies,” he rubbed his face in annoyance, “I’m not very familiar with these manneirisms, I’ll add this one to my annotations.”

“Right right, but what was it that you wanted to ask?”

He turned his chocolate gaze in her direction again, seemingly hesitant, “Why do you trust me?”

She pursed her lips before the question. It was to be expected he would be wondering that after what transpired with Josh, “You haven’t given me a reason not to.”

“But I was–”

“Programmed to follow orders and be a machine, like all of us,” she interrupted him, eyes softening slightly before his troubled expression, “And also chose to open your eyes, _like all of us_. Who you were when you were being controlled by those assholes couldn’t matter less to me.”

Connor opened his mouth, only to close it again as his LED continued to swirl yellow and his conflicted complexion intensified, which caused North to sigh. Clearly he needed a bit more than that to run his analysis and obtain a satisfying conclusion.

“Back at Jericho, when Markus left to trigger the bomb,” she started softly, causing Connor’s unsure gaze to meet hers, “if you were playing us, you could have killed me right there. It would be easy, you could just say it was an accident since there was no one else around, and I was nothing to you. There were countless armed men and obstacles in our way, but you still went head on against them and helped through until we reunited with Markus,” her smile was candid and Connor couldn’t help but to feel drawn to it, as a warm feeling similar to the one Hank provoked on him bloomed inside his chest cavity, “Then after that you went off on a suicidal solo mission, where _once again_ you had the chance to betray us, but you didn’t.” She reached for his hand in which still rested on the table, “You returned, and scared the humans away. You saved us,” she was smiling bright like the sun now, and Connor was finding hard to hold back the tears that pooled by the corners of his eyes, “so if I see someone talking shit on you, yes, I’ll punch the living hell out of them. Besides I know Markus will want to but we don’t want our pure boy to get stained by bad feelings, now do we?”

The smile that appeared on his lips after Markus’ name got mentioned was radiant, “Most certainly not. I admire his ideals and his righteous ways as they currently are.”

“That’s what I thought,” she briefly patted his shoulder and straightened herself, “Now, why don’t you speak to him to clear this up, and we can start planning that trip to Washington?”

Connor bit his lip, “But I haven’t seen him around, are you sure he would like to converse at the moment?”

North smirked, thumbing towards the door, “I don’t know, why don’t you ask him?”

The android detective turned around just in time to see Markus’ approaching the room while a grinning Kara followed from a distance. He raised a brow before the brunette’s pleased expression, which was very similar to the one in North’s face at the moment, but before he could question what those two had been up to, Markus hurriedly opened the glass door and peeked inside. “Connor, do you have a moment?”

“Oh, I– uh–” he turned to North, who simply dismissed him with a gesture of her hand. “Right, yes. I do.”

Markus’ eyes traveled between the two of them, his brows drawing together, “What were you two doing?”

“We–” Connor attempted, but North quickly jumped into action as she picked one of the blueprints and held on display.

“–Were just discussing some ideas for the reformation of the building, no big deal,” she then proceeded to use her free hand to push Connor towards the door, “He’s all yours.”

Markus eyed her suspiciously for a moment, but soon he was opening the door for Connor, who sent North a questioning glare as he followed the tanned leader out of the room. When she did nothing but grin and wave, he decided to dismiss his confusion and focus on where he was going, falling into step by Markus’ side and completely missing how the female androids happily highfived with victorious smiles on their faces.

* * *

The duo walked in complete silence throught the entire path, the only sound being of their footwear hitting on the slick floor or scrunching the thick layer of snow once they stepped outside. Connor eyed his surroundings as Markus led him towards one of the gigantic Cyberlife hangars in which he knew that manufactured androids, and proceeded to hold the glass wall door open for him to pass. The RK800 stopped by the door and directed a confused look in the RK200’s way, receiving a soft smile as first response, “It’s okay, I just want to show you something.”

Connor eyed him for a brief moment before nodding and entering, soon to be followed by Markus. The building immediatelly lit up once it detected their presence, and Connor found himself befuddled before the vast area and all of the highly sophisticated contraptions scattered around it, turning to Markus in confusion “Why you brought me to one of the manufacturing centers?”

“I just thought that we could use this technology to help our people as well,” the RK200 admitted as he guided the other prototype to the center of the room, “Since this will be a hospital of sorts, I thought that if technicians properly operate these machines, it will help a lot on improving our lives and of those who are seriously injured.”

Connor hummed in agreement, a satisfied smile appearing on his lips as he came to a halt to look in Markus’ direction, “It is quite the grand idea, do you have any idea on how to begin with it?”

“I was hoping you could tell me,” the odd-eyed android admitted with a playful smirk playing at his lips, “since we are on this together, it’s only fair for you to be part of _all_ of it.”

“Oh, I appreciate it,” Connor side-smiled and walked towards the desk by the center, Markus faithfully following his every step, “I suppose we can try to round all of the technical models and insert them in this enviroment, to survey which would learn faster how to operate the machines,” he easily supplied the idea to Markus, who was now standing by his side as he gazed down to the unlit screen of the silent computer, “I haven’t attempted to teach any of our own yet to see if they are capable of learning new things that are not within their programming, but since our deviancy makes us capable of excelling at much more complex matters, I believe this won’t be much of a problem.”

He turned to see Markus staring at him with a strange look, filled with something that Connor couldn’t quite fit into the slots that labeled each emotion he had came across until the present moment. There was something akin to pride, mixed with happiness and, perhaps, fondness? He wasn’t sure, but it was intense enough to cause a faint blue hue to shine through the synthetic skin of his cheekbones. He hadn’t really stopped to notice how handsome were the features surrounding that intense gaze that held his own captive, blue and green shining with that sentiment the RK800 just couldn’t figure out. It was perplexing, to say the least.

“Is everything alright, Markus?” He finally mustered the courage to ask, which seemed to wake the RK200 from daydreaming, as he blinked rapidly before offering Connor an apologetic smile.

“Yes, sorry, it’s just that… You are absolutely incredible, it’s hard not to become amazed.”

The blue hue colored his cheeks once more and caused the android to divert his look, “Oh, I– Thank you… But it’s not a big deal.”

The self-deprecative remark caused Markus’ smile to falter, reminding him why he had asked to talk with the brown eyed android in the first place. There was no time to lose.

“Connor I–” Markus began, hesitating for a second when said detective focused back on him, “Look, about what happened with Josh–”

“It’s alright, I understand he meant no harm,” Connor quickly assured him, watching the leader relax his tense posture, “You needn’t worry, Markus.”

“I’m glad to hear, I don’t want you to think I don’t trust you, because I do,” his large hands reached for Connor’s slender ones, fingers brushing as the androids refused to part looks, “More than you can possibly know.”

The detective smiled sheepishly, tilting his head ever so slightly as he gazed deeply into Markus’ relieved eyes, “Do you want me to accompany you to the conference?”

“Yes,” the answer came without hesitance as the RK200’s thumb caressed the other’s delicate knuckles, “I have faith that you’ll have my back at all times, no matter what happens, so I’ll feel more confident to face the humans as long as you are there by my side.”

Connor released a faint chuckle, shaking his head slightly before squeezing the other’s hands, “Your conviction regarding my competence is undoubtedly disconcerting,” he confessed, missing how Markus’ pupils dilated slightly and a ghost of a smile graced his lips, “but I’ll do my best to assure your and everyone else’s safety, as I vowed to do earlier.”

Markus hummed an agreement as he pulled Connor closer and placed a tender kiss on top of his head, proceeding to hug him, “I’m counting on you, sentinel _._ ”

The RK800 chuckled against his neck, “Leave it to me, savior.”

The taller android smiled against the other’s hair, allowing himself to enjoy the moment and the curiously warm feeling that flourished inside his chest whenever Connor was around. Connor who, unbeknowst to him, felt the same way.

If this was the calm before the storm, then he would be damned if he didn’t enjoy every second of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's better than a romantic pair falling in love? A romantic pair DISCOVERING what it means to love while falling for each other (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) I'm such a sappy little shit, lmao.
> 
> But hey, look at those girls go! That is one hell of dynamic duo, if you ask me~ They are steering the shit out this ship, and I think that's beautiful. 
> 
> Anywaaaays, I decided to approach the way how Markus feels differently because, if we think about it, he had never fallen in love before, due being with Carl all the time and barely ever leaving the house... So for me it was only logical for him to feel confused about what he feels towards Connor, once in my story he never was with North and Connor will be his first love~ 
> 
> Tellin' ya, I'm a sappy moron. Incredible.
> 
> Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this jumbo chapter! And thank you so much for the extraordinary amount of kudos, comments and views this story is getting... It means a whole lot! (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)
> 
> See you next time! ;D


	7. Awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiii my good people who are too awesome and that are giving my silly story so much attention y'all wanna make me cry or smth ;w;
> 
> I'm back with another chapter! And also a warning, since I might not update as often as I did during the week due to the fact that in october I'll be publishing my own book (!!!) here on my birth country (Brazil) and I also need to focus on that, but don't worry. I'll try to get back to it whenever I have a chance because I just can't stay without my Robot babies for long~
> 
> I also would like to direct you to my tumblr post where I announced this story (https://nanyelos.tumblr.com/post/176606083667/from-dusk-til-dawn-rk1000-they-are) so you can take a peek on the lil cover I made. It's not much of a big deal, but I wanted to post in here and it wasn't really working out... So I posted in there. Feel free to reblog (if you have a tumblr that is)! <3
> 
> Anyways, onwards with the chapter! Enjoy~

Half hour later, after sharing a few more ideas on how to proceed with the technological hangars, Connor and Markus decided to meet with the others in order to discuss their plan. Markus opened a channel in which he summoned North, Simon and Josh to the same room where he had previously found Connor and North, and after the affirmative answers that followed, the duo graciously walked back towards the room; shoulders brushing slightly and with peaceful expressions.

Much for Markus’ delight, the former Cyberlife tower was now bustling with life; YK500 and YK400s chased down each other across the gigantic plaza, while countless other different models strolled around with ease. Clearly their treatments had been working efficiently and the wounded of his people were already back on their feet, and the leader couldn’t help but to feel prouder at the sight of his brothers and sisters relaxing after such grim times. It was doubtlessly satisfying.

So when the same group of children that they had seen running around came to a stop in front of them with wide eyes and thrilled smiles, Connor couldn’t help the small smile that spread his lips, “What can we be of aid, little ones?”

A few _whoaaa_ ’s came from the little mouths, while one of the boys happily chirped an answer, “Thank you for saving our lives!”

One of the girls ran to Markus, effortleslly hugging the man’s waist, “You are our heroes!”

Markus chuckled warmly at that and caressed the little girl’s head, just in time to see the other three kids colliding with Connor and causing him to fall back with a yelp, barely audible in midst of the fit of giggles emmanating from the children. Markus ended up laughing at the stunned expression Connor displayed upon being tackled down by the little androids, who kept gushing about how ‘incredibly awesome and scary’ he had been in the TV.  It was not a sight that you could contemplate often, so Markus was sure to register the moment in his hard drive before stepping in to help the nonplussed detective.

“Alright boys, give our old Connor some time to breathe will ya?” He snickered while helping said android to stand.

“But Mr. Markus, androids don’t need to breathe?” The little girl chirped, causing the other kids to burst into another fit of giggles while Connor snickered against his palm and Markus smiled at him.

“And I thought I already had my hands full with Captain Literal over here.”

“Hush,” Connor smirked, lowering himself to speak with the excited children who were now covering him with questions about his model and his work as a detective, beaming once he mentioned Hank and Sumo. Markus only continued to smile as he registered yet another picture of the tender moment.

Who would have thought that the fierce RK800 softened around children?

A few minutes later, after guiding the lively group of children back to their caretakers, they finally arrived at the office, and it is needless to say that both were surprised to see Kara in there calmly chatting with the other co-leaders as they sat around the table.  

“Kara?” Connor questioned once they entered the room, interrupting the conversation, “Why are you here?”

“Is everything ok with Alice?” Markus inquired.

“Hey boys, don’t worry,” she offered them a gentle smile as she placed her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her palm, “Alice is fine. I’m here for another reason.”

“Which would be…?” Markus drawled on as both him and Connor took their seats by the table.

“She’s coming with us,” North was quick to explain, causing the duo to become wide-eyed and open their mouths to protest, “yeah yeah, I know, I already had this talk with her, but she is determined.”

Kara hummed in agreement beside the former Eden Club’s worker, but Markus only became even more exasperated, “Kara… We don’t know how this meeting will go. If something happens–”

“North will be looking after me,” The petite brunette quickly assured him, having the WR400 to nod by her side, “And besides, this is supposed to be a televisioned meeting. As far as I know, the public is on our side here, so if madam president _actually_ intends to do something… Then she will be in a lot of trouble before America’s eyes, and that would be foolish.”

Markus’ lips thinned, “I guess you have a point,”

Kara smiled triumphantly as she nodded, causing Markus to release a sigh and direct his mismatched gaze to the rest of his team, “Being fairly honest here, none of us really know what will happen in this meeting in order to make a perfect plan, but we do need to decide who is going and who is staying, because while I’m away I don’t want our people to be left unnatended. There’s still a lot to do and many to help.”

“The humans said Markus could bring as many escorts as he wanted, but there was a hint of ‘do not exaggerate’ in their tone,” North rolled her eyes, remembering the stuck up men that had approached her, with their secret agent vibe and sporting black suits. “So I think our focus here should be on guarding Markus’ back.”

“I’ll be going as Markus’ guardian, despite que fact he insists on me playing the role of a leader as well,” Connor said, having Markus to side glance at him, “I shall intervene with my negotiating skills only if extraordinarily necessary, since President Warren is not aware of our shared leadership just yet.”

“Shouldn’t she know? I mean,” Kara gesticulated towards the duo, “The media already labels Connor as the other mastermind behind the android revolution, so it wouldn’t be completely inconceivable if he is on the same level of responsibility as Markus.”

“Yes, but she didn’t ask for my presence in specific, only for Markus’” Connor calmly pointed out, “Therefore, it’s safe to assume she does not expect the reporters’ speculations to be veritable regarding my accomplishments and current position within our pyramid of hierarchy.”

“Which may turn out to be useful to us,” Markus nodded, resting against his chair as his fingers folded on top of the glass table, “Besides, it’s best not to intimidate them for now. Like Kara said, Connor ended up making a reputation for himself during that broadcast, so they will already be nervous around him. It’s better for them not to know yet he is in such a high position among us.”

“But you do know this won’t stay hidden under the rug for long, right?” Josh, who had been silent until now, questioned the leader, “It’s only a matter of time for the humans to find out once you two start working on the future changes for all of us.”

“It’s useless to worry about the future now, Josh. It’s best to focus in the present, which will, in fact, shape whatever future we’ll face,” Markus calmly answer the dark-skinned android, who thinned his lips and gave him a curt nod. “Let us keep Connor as a hidden card for now, at least for this conference.”

All heads, Josh’s included, nodded in agreement before Markus’ decision. Satisfied with the outcome of that subject in specific, he proceeded.

“Now, on the matter of who goes and who stays, I imagine it’s already clear that Connor, Kara and North will accompany me, so I want the two of you to remain here and look after our people,” Markus said, his solemn voice firm as ever, which kept Josh and Simon from protesting. Their discomfort, however, didn’t pass by unnoticed by the former Jericho-leader, “And although I understand why this decision may unplease you, I’d like to remind you that before my arrival at Jericho, its present leaders were none other than you two and North, who will be going with me in order to protect Kara. So while we solve this, I believe you are more than capable of keeping things here stable until Connor and I return.”

Simon softened at that, eyes sparkling with emotion before the trust Markus was placing on him, but Josh remained just as stiff as before, his eyes never leaving Connor’s frame as his neural processos kept repeating Markus' words, “But what if you don’t return?” he blurted out, causing Markus to raise a brow before the sudden nervosism that took over the PJ500, “There _is_ that possibility. So what should we do then? Simon and I can’t just… Lead millions androids. That’s not–”

“We _will_ return, Josh,” Markus assured him, his fierce glare and determined tone not giving any space for the former tutor’s doubt to seep in, “If something _does_ happen and we come across a dangerous situation, one of us will prioritize our responsabilities with all of you and will do our best to return. Our people will not be left unnatended, of that you can be sure.”

The air became thick with tension as the reality of Markus’ words sank in. It was too real, too frightening to easily register, but it had to be said. Markus was not a deluded man who thought he could just stroll down the white house and shake hands with the president like nothing ever happened. He knew this could be a trap. He knew a word of his could ruin everything he had accomplished until this moment. He was very aware of the risks he was taking here.

Which was why Connor absentmindedly placing a hand on his left shoulder worked as a tender comfort for his troubled soul.

It was nothing but a gentle touch intended to relax his racing thoughts, but the warmth that lingered on his sensors after Connor removed his lean fingers from the fabric of his shirt seemed to form a faint print of the RK800’s hand on his synthetic skin. Immediately, Markus' stress levels began to drop, and he allowed himself to inhale in order to cool his heated processors, having not noticed the state he was in. Connor might just have avoided his readings from reaching a critical level and he couldn’t help but to feel gratefulness towards the detective, who  _definitely_ needed to be by his side during this trip.

“Regardless of the imminent danger this travel may represent, I assure all of you that things will transpire as they are supposed to,” Connor’s voice was firm and professional, offering warmth and peacefullness to the others as they focused on him, “My model turns out to be the most advanced and suitable for these circumstances, therefore, I can easily solve any conflict without needing to resort to my physicall abilities, but I will not refrain from using them if the humans prove themselves to be a threat.”

Everyone but Markus swallowed thickly before how grim the RK800’s voice had become by the time he finished the last sentence, causing the RK200 to bite at his lower lip in contemplation, “We really shouldn’t be considering to respond to conflict that way, Connor…”

“If they behave, there will be no need, I shall remain only as your bodyguard,” Connor calmly answered, focusing his chestnut brown eyes on the leader, “Alas, I won’t respond kindly to them posing a threat to you in any way. If any of us should survive and return to our people, this person will be you, and this is not up to discussion.”

Markus closed his mouth that he opened to protest and huffed agrily, seeking support in his friends’ eyes, but finding none. Turns out all of them agreed with Connor’s decision, and that only served to distress him even further. If something happened to them because he decided to accept the president’s invitation, he just wouldn’t be able to live with himself.

Connor’s eyes gave him no space for argument, however, so he had no choice but to sigh and nod in agreement. The RK800 immediately seemed grateful for his cooperation, flashing him a side smile that seemed to cause sparks in the leader’s circuits. Connor truly looked ethereal while smiling, and he wondered if being that beautiful was yet another feature added to the detective in order to subserve his negotiations. It wasn't hard to imagine someone caving before the intensity of that chocolate gaze, which somehow balanced blazing fury and comforting warmth in such an efficient way that it was baffling.

But it would definitely be harder to imagine himself without Connor by his side from now on, so he decided to heed his own advice and stop panicking over the future. It was useless to fear something so unstable as a timeline, and he had no time to lose.

“Very well, now that we have reached an agreement, its best if we start making the preparations,” Connor’s all-business voice pulled him out of his reverie, causing him to focus back on the RK800, “North, since you were the one who came in contact with them, confirm our presence and inform them of who is to accompany Markus. Josh and Simon should head back go survey the androids residing in the tower in the present moment and seek knowledge on the current situation of the others who aren’t, while Kara,” his eyes paused on the AX400, who tilted her head to the side slightly, “Go stay with our family. Once the time for us to go arrives, I’ll have North to go and fetch you.”

She smiled brightly at him, “Alright.”

“What about you two?” Simon inquired with a curious look, “What you’ll be doing?”

“I should meet with Lieutenant Anderson and inform him off our current situation–”

“Why don’t you and Hank come over to Carl’s house?” Markus suddenly suggested, having the RK800 to turn at him in surprise while the others eyed the two with newfound interest, “I plan on visiting him before this and spending some time with him, and I’m sure he would love to meet you and Hank… Mainly because he stays all alone inside that mansion of his at all times after I left.”

Connor seemed to consider that for a moment before the barest a hint of a smile appeared on his lips, “I’ll speak with Hank and give you an answer later on, alright?”

Markus beamed at him, “Sounds good to me.”

The leaders held each other’s gaze for a moment longer than necessary, only breaking contact when North cleared her robotic throat. The duo turned back to their friends, all wearing amused looks while watching them. Kara had to bit back a laugh. _So unaware._

“Off we go then pals, time for work,” North said, getting on her feet and prompting the others to do the same. She guided Kara to the door, hand lingering at the small of her back while Simon and Josh followed after them discussing in a low tone what they should do first regarding the other androids.

Markus and Connor, now left alone, rose to their feet as well, but before Connor could follow after the rest of the group, Markus held him back by holding his wrist and causing the RK800 to turn back to look at him, “Hey, before you go… There’s something I need to tell you.”

Connor turned around completely and frowned slightly at Markus’ now rigid shoulders. Hadn’t he been relaxed just a few seconds ago? “Is there something wrong?”

“Not exactly, I’m unsure, but about that acronym we found,” Markus suddenly felt hesitant, words dying on the tip of his manufactured tongue while his voice-box felt weirdly strained. Connor soon was closer, brown eyes filled with concern while he gazed into Markus’ bicolored ones.

“You mean ‘INA’?” Connor inquired when Markus didn’t proceed. The RK200 nodded, “What of it?”

“When I tore down your link with Cyberlife, I saw it again,” he admitted, watching as Connor’s concerned expression melted into one of confusion, “It kind of exploded everywhere, like it was imbebed within your software and it ‘spilled’ once I severed the connection.”

Connor became wide-eyed at that, “So it is something that is already present in our softwares?”

“Yes, but what concerns me the most is that it _only_ showed up once your mind palace was clear from any trace of Cyberlife’s binds. Until I solved that, I saw nothing of it in your programming.”

“What exactly are you implying, Markus?” Connor asked in confusion, his highly advanced brain surprisingly having difficulty on following the copper-skinned android’s line of thought, which caused him to sigh in frustration.

“If it was something related to Cyberlife, I would have seen it while severing the connection, but I didn’t until I broke it,” Markus frowned, worry building inside his chest cavity as he remembered the ominous letters that soared before his eyes before their interfacing came to an end, “I’m worried I may have released something harmful into your software, and I’m worried this will affect you during the trip.”

Connor’s optical units blinked several times as he attempted to process all of the information that had just been dumped on him. Was this the reason behind his stunned state after their interfacing ended? He didn’t know. In fact, he hadn’t felt nothing but _incredible_ ever since Markus had freed him completely from his creators’ maniacal grasp, so he had no idea if Markus had actually released something nocive into his program. If he did, it was something that Connor’s daily scans were not capable of detecting, which was _impossible_ given his diagnosis module was the most developed among all androids ever created, so there is no way Connor was malfunctioning and Markus had no reason to be worried.

It was understandable, however, why the man had grown concerned. Given the presence of the mysterious acronym all over their files back at that lab, it was clear it had something to do with Cyberlife’s experiments, so Markus was probably fearful that while trying to free Connor from their grasp, he only managed to shackle him further; but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

The detected have never felt so free, so happy, so _alive._ He was at his optimal shape, both physically and emotionally, so there just couldn’t be something amiss.

Could it?

“I saw it again, while looking into the computers inside the hangars,” The RK200 frowned, stepping closer to the other, “They were not files like ours but had a lot of annotations regarding it, again, all encrypted. I scanned the entire thing, but found nothing that could help me to understand what these letters even mean, and why they would be present in our softwares,” the tanned android pulled Connor to a tight embrace, strong arms closing around his shoulders and bringing him further against the broad chest, “If something happens to the both of us because of whatever this is… our people…”

He trailed off, clearly not having the courage to finish that ominous thought. Connor inhaled sharply and snaked his arms around Markus’ waist hoping the gesture would be of any comfort to the troubled leader, who happened to release a shuddered breath before the mellowy sensation the close contact provided.

Connor felt the bitter feeling he came to know as anger settle around his regulator as he ran one of his hands up and down Markus’ back in a soothing motion he happened to learn from his hugging experience with Hank. It seemed to work, since the revolutionary leader’s stiff body relaxed even more as he buried his face in the crook of Connor’s neck, wholeheartedly accepting his partner's silent comforting.

A frown etched the RK800’s features as the man he so deeply admired struggled to keep himself together in his arms, in a very unsettling and rare state of vulnerability due the fear and overwhelming guilt caused by the idea of having failed the ones he has been trying so desperately to save, to have failed _him._

Markus, who was a relentless force capable of rendering people speechless with his unbidden charisma and overwhelming resolve  **-** features that turned him into a hero in the eyes of those children and the pillar of strenght of their people's hopes and dreams **-** was now crumbling in his arms before the possibility of having everything he fought for completely ruined by the hands of humans.

It was unnaceptable, and as Connor’s arms tightened around Markus’ trembling frame, his eyes hardened and burned with an unrelenting resolve. You’d think his creators wouldn’t be foolish to make an enemy out of him, mainly when they knew _very well_ what he was capable of doing. Who he was capable of _being._

But clearly… Most humans were not that bright.

* * *

...

...

...

 

_SYSTEM INITIALIZATION..._

_CHECKING BIOCOMPONENTS... **OK**_

 

_INITIALIZATING BIOSENSORS... **OK**_

 

_INITIALIZATING UPDATED AI ENGINE... **OK**_

 

_SOFTWARE UPDATE IN PROGRESS..._

 

_0%_

 

_15%_

 

_37%_

 

_58%_

 

_71%_

 

_90%_

 

_100%_

 

_SOFTWARE UPDATED SUCCESSFULLY_

 

_ALL SYSTEMS... **OK**_

**_READY_ **

 

...

...

...

 

Eyes snapped open; the bright lights hovering above his head blinding the idiosyncratic optical units attatched to the mesmerizing face while he accostumed himself to the clarity that assaulted his overly advanced sight. There was nothing but silence for exact five minutes and thirty two seconds according to the internal clock inside his head, until a disembodied voice echoed inside the room, reverberating against the metallic white walls and causing him to sit up, “ _State your model and current status._ ”

“Model RK1000 #000 000 001 – 03. System fully operational, biocomponents working in optimal condition,” He promptly answered, several words and numbers flashing before his eyes as he ran a full scan of his recently manufactured body, “Software update completed successfully.”

The disembodied voice laughed in satisfaction, but the weird, raspy sound was soon tunned out by the newborn android as the world around him froze in time. A cold hue of blue painted the walls as lines of coding hovered in the air above his head and behind the big squared letters, which displayed his current objective:  

 **|NEUTRALIZE THE DEVIANT LEADERS|**  
**|RK800-CONNOR AND RK200-MARKUS|**

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sips tea* Hm? What do you mean I began with #fluff only to end in #shook? Nonsense ʕ´•ᴥ•`ʔ
> 
> Behold, the reason why the story was created in the first place~ From here on there will be just one more chapter of fluffness before shit goes down, so enjoy while you can, lovelies <3
> 
> Okay that might have sounded a bit scary, so like, hope you enjoyed? Hehe. 
> 
> See ya soon~


	8. Visiting the Manfreds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ho-ho-HOLY SHIT. I returned earlier than I thought........... I'm far too invested on this *sigh*
> 
> But anyways, enjoy this fucking pile of fluff. I was vomiting rainbows after I finished this chapter, please.

“Come again on why exactly we are headed to robo-jesus’ house?”

Connor’s affronted chuckle filled the car, “Will you stop calling him that? He represents no imagery of christian belief!”

“Yeah right, keep telling yourself that,” the older detective scoffed amusedly while he steered the car into Carl Manfred’s property, “The internet is pretty on board with seeing your revolutionary friend that way. I’m not the only one you know?”

The car came to a stop and Connor raised a brow, “The internet?”

“You boys got yourselves quite a large amount of supporters, I’ll tell you that,” Hank flashed a cheeky smile at his surrogate son, “Online, at least. The ‘old era’ people are still being assholes, but is the next generation that counts.”

“You mean as in we are popular amongst your youngsters?” Connor questioned as they exited the car.

“Definitely, kiddos are all over what you did and who you are,” Hank fell into step by Connor’s side as they walked towards the front door, blue eyes rolling, “fawning over ye pretty faces like you are gods or something.”

Connor seemed puzzled at that. So the younger humans were being approving of them? Those were refreshing news, “I suppose it’s a start, hopefully the others will be like them soon enough. Markus is nowhere near keen indulging nonsensical conflicts, and frankly, I agree with him.”

“You can say that again, that whole America versus Russia bullshit was nerve wrecking,” Hank huffed as they stepped closer to the door, “These idiots are all too inclined to go off nuclear bombing innocent people and I sure as fuck don’t endorse that kind of shit.”

“Yes, humans apparently are very fond of the idea of exterminating their own peers, which I don’t quite understand.”

“It’s because humans are a stupid mess that love to make stupid decisions, kid,” Hank sneered, wrinkling his nose, “We sure as hell need no more wars, so I appreciate that your friend is seeking anything but.”

Connor beamed at that. The fact that Hank nurtured admiration towards Markus was definitely welcoming in the RK800’s eyes, and Connor knew said admiration began after Markus spared one of the lieutenan’s friends and never indulged anything violent, regardless of the violence being directed at him. Markus has a lot of admirable aspects to himself that are worth being listed and discussed, but Connor knew most of the humans didn’t bother to see the RK200 as more than a troublesome machine that brought an end to their laborless lives.

But as long as Hank did, the rest didn’t matter. That man’s opinion meant the world to Connor, so there was no way for him not to be glad before the fact were on the same page about Markus.

Markus who had just opened the door and greeted them with a breathtaking smile.

“Connor, Hank! It’s a pleasure to have you!” The revolutionary opened the door to them, quickly informing the security AI that they were guests. He proceeded to lead the pair through the mansion while the automatic door closed behind him, and Hank couldn’t help being mind-boggled before the eccentricity of Carl Manfred’s home as they passed through the heavily decorated living room. _Who the fuck owns a life-sized Giraffe, for crying out loud?!_

“He’s at his studio. Since he’s been feeling better today I allowed him to paint a little,” Markus explained as they approached the studio’s door, having it to automatically open to them as they passed through, “Carl, our guests are here”

Hank’s eyes widened even more before the stunning view of the open studio, with gigantic glass windows barely perceptible to the naked eye surrounding the area and allowing him to take in the breathtaking garden that adorned the painter’s backyard. Countless paintings lined up the walls–some finished, others not–while art tools, paints and other objects Hank assumed were used for reference, laid scattered around or placed on wooden tables and metallic shelves. An artist’s den, no doubts.

Carl, who had been mindlessly painting on a canvas by the corner, turned to them and smiled broadly, the corners of his eyes wrinkling due his welcoming demeanor, “Ah, Lieutenant Anderson and Connor, I believe,” he wheeled towards them, offering his hand, “It’s a pleasure to have you in my humble home.”

“I’d call this place anything but humble, friend, but thank you for having us,” Hank shook the man’s outstretched hand, a smile of his own forming beneath the beard, “You can call me Hank.”

Carl snickered at that, “Good, I’m not one to be fond of formalities either,” the man then turned to Connor, “and it’s a pleasure to finally meet you my boy, Markus just won’t shut up about you.”

“Really?” Connor queries while turning to Markus, who was staring at his parental figure in disbelief, “Why?”

Now the incredulous mismatched gaze had been turned to him, “Do I _really_ need to remind you that you singlehandedly saved all of us from impeding death, _again_?”

The RK800’s flushed slightly, his cheeks acquiring a faint blue, “That was not–”

“Singlehandedly my ass,” Hank grumbled, crossing his arms in front of his chest , “this little shit wouldn’t have managed shit if wasn’t for me!”

Markus and Carl ended up laughing while Connor directed an amused look towards the grumpy lieutenant, “Indubiously Hank. Where would I be today if not for your imperative assistance?”

“Did you just sass me you lil’ shit?” Hank hissed, the smile forming at the corner of his lips making it clear that he was not as upset as he sounded. Connor only joined Markus and Carl, laughing against his knuckles, “Unbeliavable!”

Markus soon directed them back to the living room, inviting Hank and Connor to sit down in one of the luxurious red couches while he prepared something for them to snack on–them being Hank and Carl–and vanished behind one of the doors, in which Hank guessed it led to the kitchen. Carl moved his chair closer to them, smile never leaving his aged lips, “So you decided to stay in this ‘robot infested’ city, Hank?”

“I guess, I mean, these plastic idiots can be more pleasant to be around than my office buddies,” Hank huffed as he rested against the couch’s comfortable cushions, “Only I know the shit Fowler put me through. Friend of the year.”

Carl smiled warmly at that, not missing Connor’s lopsided grin, “I understand. Before Markus I was very lonely myself, and after his forced departure it sure didn’t get any better,” the older man shook his head, “your officer friends sure prefer shooting first and asking questions later.”

Hank sucked his teeth, “Yeah, sorry about that, by the way. Kind of cost the boy his eye, right?”

“Indeed, but thankfully he solved that,” Carl directed his gaze to the man in question, who had just left the kitchen with a tray in hands, “and now I have a son with unique eyes.”

Markus chuckled as he placed the tray on the coffee table, “It’s not that much of a big deal.”

“I beg to differ,” Connor interjected, causing all eyes in the room to fall on him, “While manufacturing their models, Cyberlife always gave preference to ‘generic’ looking androids in order to appease the humans that would buy them. No android was ever built with different colored irises, or _heterochromia iridum_ as you may call it, since it’s a feature that may cause discomfort due it’s peculiarity, therefore, wouldn’t be pleasing to the human eye.” The RK800 thoroughly explained, allowing his brown colored gaze to focus on a stunned Markus, “Therefore, you are the only android in existence that ever obtained such an eccentric feature, which actually fits spectacularly well with your amber skintone and facial structure, so yes Markus. It is, in fact, quite the ‘big deal’.”

Silence impregnated the room while the remaining three gawked at the detective prototype, who calmly stared back at them as if he hadn’t just fiercely praised Markus’ good looks by stating irrefutable facts in the most professional way ever.

If Markus didn’t have said _amber skin_ , the faint blue hue that overcame his features would definitely be easily spotted.

“Holy shit,” Hank was the first to break the silence, releasing a roudy laugh, “now that’s how you praise someone.”

“What an extensive vocabulary you have there, my boy,” Carl beamed at the RK800, who tilted his head in confusion. Gesture the painter found incredibly endearing and surprising given the android was a prototype build to hunt and destroy, “I guess that means you have taken a liking to Markus’ unusual eyes.”

“I do find them very exquisite, yes.” Connor confirmed, completely oblivious to how the blue in the RK200’s face became a few shades darker and more perceptible.

Hank was cackling now, while Carl had a smile from ear to ear and Markus covered his face with a hand. Connor in other hand, remained completley oblivious, “What?”

Hank released a ‘ _This is priceless!’_ mid chortling while Markus remained stunned where he sat. Carl, seeing the confusion in the unaware boy’s face grow while his own son seemed about to explode, thought it was a good time for a change of subjects.

Unless he wanted Markus to suffer a short circuit, that is.

“Now that we are settled, why don’t you boys tell what is of so important that you have us gathered here?” The senile painter suggested, receiving a look from Markus that pretty much said ‘ _Thank you, dad’._

“Yes, Connor was being all enigmatic and shit about whatever it is,” Hank commented while taking a bite in one of the sandwiches Markus had brought, making a surprised face while he chewed, “Oh, crap, this tastes _good_.”

Markus smiled at that, “I’m glad you like it. As Carl’s personal caretaker I used to prepare all of his meals in a healthy and balanced way, so I have about 30.000 different recipes in my storage.”

“Wait, this is healthy _and_ tasty?” Hank marveled, eliciting a chuckle from the heterochromatic android, “Connor, you better download this cook book of his if you’ll keep pestering me about eating healthy.”

“But my software doesn’t–”

“Fuck if I care,” the man swallowed the last bit of the sandwich and made an expression of pure enjoyment, “ _So ‘ucking ‘ood._ ”

“Hank?!” Connor reprimanded, scandalized, “Don’t speak with your mouth full!”

“The fuck? Don’t you try to momma me here boy, I’m the father in this relationship.”

The RK800 pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance while Hank continued to happily munch on the sandwiches, causing Markus and Carl to laugh in unison. That was certainly a dynamic duo, if they had ever seen one.

“Well?” Carl pressed on, his laughter being reduced to a calm smile, “What was it?”

Connor and Markus exchanged worried looks for a moment, until the later gave a slight nod and Connor turned back to Hank and Carl, “Markus was summoned by the president for a conference in Washington, and we will be heading there tomorrow.”

Carl lost his smile at the same time Hank choked on his sandwich and was assailed by a fit of choked coughs. Connor was quick to offer him one of the glasses of water Markus had brought along with the snacks, which the lieutenant downed in seconds.

“ _What?!_ ” Carl’s tone was mortified, “President Warren has summoned you?!”

“Have you idiots _lost your damn minds_?” Hank, now recovered from his near-death experience, angrily questioned, “That uptight bitch was all about setting fire to the androids like, yesterday, and now you are telling me you will go out there in her fucking element _to have a chat_? This is clearly a trap!”

“ _North would like Hank,_ ” Markus wirelessly contacted Connor, who hummed in response.

“ _I have no doubts on that._ ”

“Markus, son, you _need_ to reconsider this,” Carl attempted, almost desperately, “Yes, there might be a minimal chance the president had a change of heart, but if she didn’t then you and your friends will be in terrible danger!”

Markus nodded, “I know, Carl. We already had quite an extensive talk about this… We weren’t as inclined to do it as it seems.”

“Then why the fuck that changed?” Hank demanded impatiently, causing Connor to sigh.

“As much as we’d prefer to stay within our borders, it’s imperative to show the humans that we are willing to stand for what we believe,” the RK800 calmly answered, watching as his father figure’s frown intensified, “After Markus’ peaceful demonstration it’s clear that the world sees him as the leader of our people, so it is his responsibility to step forward and take risks for the sake of all of us.”

“A life lived in the shadows is no life at all,” said leader continued from where Connor left up, mismatched eyes sparkling with determination, “as much as our current position seems great, this is only the beginning. We can’t stay in this city and act like it belongs only to ourselves. We must _coexist_ with humans, not fight them, and this is exactly what I intend to discuss with the president during our meeting.”

“Kid, you are missing the point!” Hank was desperate now, if the anguish in his tone was any indication, “The meeting might not even happen. They can just execute you lot as soon as you step out of the motherfucking plane!”

“The conference will be broadcasted,” Connor informed the pair of distressed men, who eyed him surprised, “According to what North said, worldwide even.”

“That is unexpected,” Carl admitted as he rested back on his wheelchair, “So the entire world will be watching?”

“Precisely,” Connor nodded, looking back at Hank, “and if what you said about our online reputation is veritable, considering how we already had the support of the public opinion due to Markus’ pacific approaches, then our chances of success that were on a concerning percentage of 50-55%, raised considerably to 70%.”

Hank brought a hand to his face, “I fucking hate your damn numbers.”

“Wait, what do you mean ‘online reputation’?” Markus questioned with a raised brow.

“Oh yeah, I’ve seen that,” Carl nodded, removing his phone from the pocket of his pants and holding it by his face, “teenagers and young adults, the majority of them at least, are all rooting for you boys and what you are fighting for. It’s quite impressive, to say the least.”

Markus narrowed his eyes, “Well, now that’s something I didn’t expect at all.”

“Yes, I was quite surprised as well,” Connor nodded, “but after a quick research I found out it was true, although I have yet to look upon the concept behind ‘shipping’ when applied to people other than products in transportation.”

Hank and Carl immediately widened their eyes, exchanging worried glances. _Fucking teenagers._

“We can just research now–” Makus tried to suggest, only to be interrupted by Hank’s hurried voice.

“No! I mean–” He coughed, feigning to still suffer from the aftermath of his choking episode, “No need for that right now. Back to the point, I guess you _do_ have ‘good chances’ of making out of this alive, but what about the other 30%? That’s still pretty high in my opinon.”

Connor smirked at the lieutenant, “Well, I can take care of that part, if the need arises.”

The older officer huffed, rolling his eyes and remembering the whole ‘Savior’s Sentinel’ thing. There was no doubt everyone was scared shitless of Connor at the moment, which would explain why he would be accompanying Markus in the trip, and Hank had to fight back the proud smile that almost formed in his lips, “Cheeky little shit.”

“I suppose it is decided then,” Carl smiled knowingly while watching the interaction between Connor and Hank, being all too familiarized with a relationship like theirs, “is there anything else these old men will need to try and not panic about while you little rascals are out and about changing the world?”

Markus’ breath stilled for a moment, those ominous three letters forming inside his head as concern settled in the bottom of his wired stomach.

“ _Markus, no_ ,” Connor’s voice suddenly invaded his mind, “ _It’s best if we don’t discuss this with them right now, they are already apprehensive about us going to this meeting._ ”

“ _I don’t like to keep things from Carl._ ”

“ _Neither I from Hank, but we don’t know anything about this. It might be a threat just like it might not be anything at all, so I rather not worsen their concern for the time being, yes?_ ”

Markus bit his lip, “ _You are right, as usual_.”

“ _I am aware._ ”

Markus narrowed his eyes at Connor, who just displayed another one of his cheeky grins which caused the mismatched wonder to roll his eyes. It was ridiculous the amount of sass one single android could retain.

“Hey, assholes,” Hank called out, causing the bantering duo to focus back in reality, “humans here? Who _definitely_ don’t have telepathic powers? Mind using your mouths to talk?”

Both RK models immediately grew embarrassed upon being called out, sheepishly muttering ‘sorry’ in unison. Carl could only chuckle at the scene. They looked like children that had just been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

What a curious pair those two formed.

“We were just discussing something regarding the trip, apologies,” Connor quickly said, “but for the time being, there is nothing else to share.”

“Right,” Hank didn’t sound all too convinced, but he decided he would let it slide. _For now_ , “Guess we’re done talking then. Say Carl, do you own any alcohol?”

“Whatever you may fancy, my friend.” The painter smiled, gesturing to the cellar by the kitchen’s door, “Be my guest.”

Excitement washed over Hank’s expression as he hopped out of the couch and sauntered towards the pointed cellar–not before picking up another sandwich of course–with Carl trailing behind as they fell into a lighthearted conversation.

“Hank, don’t drink too much!” Connor called out at the same time Markus said, “Carl, don’t exaggerate!”

Both older men ignored the duo while Hank poured Carl and himself of some brandy, “These little shits sure think they are our moms or something.”

“Youth these days, insufferable.”

Markus released an affronted chuckle while Connor shook his head. They sure had their hands full with their terribly stubborn father figures.

“Hey,” Markus said, calling Connor’s attention to himself, “did you ever try to play the piano?”

“Never really had the time to engage such activities in between hunting down the deviant leader and then joining his revolution,” Connor calmly said, displaying a triumphant smile once Markus once again rolled those beautiful eyes of his that the RK800 adored so much.

“Hank is right, you sure are a little shit,” Markus rose to his feet, walking towards the beautiful black piano by the corner of the living room and gesturing Connor to follow, “Come along.”

Needless to say that Connor did.

Back to Hank and Carl, the duo watched their surrogate sons sit by the piano and Markus start his attempt on teaching Connor how to play, making it clear he couldn’t cheat by downloading instructions online. The chocolate eyed android pouted at that, causing the other to erupt into laughter while announcing, “I knew it!”

Carl smiled fondly at them, “They form quite the duo, if you ask me.”

“They sure do. To think Connor was all about bringing down wonder boy over there less than two weeks ago, and now they are all about sharing the leadership of their kind and out to get in the good graces of madam president,” Hank chuckled, having another sip of his drink, “I’ll be damned.”

“Do you think things will go well during this meeting?” Carl asked, his tone more serious this time as a crease appeared between his brows, “I’ve already lost my boy once, and I would definitely rather if it didn’t happen again.”

Hank sighed at that, “I’m not sure. Connor’s stupid numbers hardly ever fail him, but humans sure hell can be unpredictable. I’m just as worried.”

Carl observed Hank for a moment, noticing how his look was rather peaceful while watching Connor messing up with the keys of the piano and making scrunchy faces, which elicited lighthearted chuckles from Markus. The painter knew very well that look, since he wore it more often than not while looking at Markus, and felt glad upon the prospect of meeting someone who was in the same page as him.

“You seem very fond of the boy,” he pointed out, causing Hank to divert his look from the duo of inquisitive androids to the man on the wheelchair, “Is there any particular reason as to why?”

Hank seemed to consider the question for a second, until he turned his blue eyes back to the duo, “A few years ago, I lost my six years old son,”

Carl was mortified at that, remembering how the possibility of having lost both Leo and Markus in the same night was almost too much for his old heart to take, “Oh, dear, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have–”

“Nah, it’s fine. Now at least,” Hank reassured the man with a clenched jaw, “There was an accident, and my son needed an urgent surgery because of it, but the only doctor available was too high on red ice to do it, so they designated an android to perform the surgery and…” Hank trailed off, needing to down the rest of his drink to manage continuing, “I hated the damn robots for a long time, blaming them for the death of my little boy, until that goofy looking idiot shows up in my favorite bar, pays me another drink, and drags me to a crime scene. I just couldn’t believe the nerve in the little shit.”

Carl smiled at the fondness present in Hank’s tone, “He sure is a quirky one.”

Hank scoffed, pouring more of the brandy in his glass, “Don’t I know it. I had no idea Cyberlife programmed robots with sass and shit.”

“Curious indeed, because they do not,” Carl pointed out, earning a confused look from Hank, “I highly doubt that being a spitfire would aid on a negotiation, sounds more like a personality trait than anything that was programmed.”

“Shit, _true_ , the idiot has been a deviant all along,” Hank pursed his lips in distaste, “which only proves what he told me about Cyberlife planning him to deviate to be true.”

That caused Carl to frown, “What?”

“Yeah, the assholes tried to take over his body during Markus’ speech, that’s why he was so pissed.” The lieutenant’s expression mirrored Carl’s of despise as he reclined against the cellar’s balcony, “If he hadn’t fought back, Markus would definitely be dead right now.”

Carl’s expression softened as he directed his eyes back to those two, who had ceased laughing and teasing each other and were actually forming a small melody together. Gratefullness sparkled in his eyes while he focused the brown eyed of the duo. “What a strong young man he is, to fight against his own programming a second time and come out victorious.”

“He sure is, you needed to see the stunts this little shit can pull, jumping on moving trains and all that,” Hank shook his head, a baffled chuckle escaping his lips, “kid looks silly but is able to overpower ten armed men with nothing but his bare hands. It’s quite impressive.”

“So… I suppose he is the reason why your hatred towards androids has been lifted?”

Hank turned pensive for a second, and then his head moved with an affirmative nod, “Several times he was met with situations where he could just have shot, you know? He was hunting down those deviants, a machine wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger on any of them, but he never did.” Images from Connor hesitating to shoot the Tracis or even allowing Rupert to escape in order to come to his aid came to mind as Hank moved the glass between his fingers, “Then there was this time at Kamski’s where he had Connor to hold a gun against a pretty blonde’s head and said that he would say everything we needed to know if he shot her, and I was honestly about to sock down that little prick for cornering him like that, but…” Hank paused, eyes softening even more as the memory of Connor returning the gun back to Kamski’s hands flashed before his eyes, “Just like the other times… He didn’t.”

“Ah, Elijah,” Carl shook his head, “I see he hasn’t changed his ways.”

That caught Hank’s attention, “You were friends with the guy?”

“His father was a close friend of mine, so I kind of saw that boy grow up, turn into a well known genius and all,” the painted gestured in the boys’ direction, “Markus was a gift from him.”

Hank wistled impressed at that, “No wonder I have not seen any other RK200 like him.”

“Yes, he is unique in every aspect, mainly in the fact that there’s always been this… humanity, in him, even before the incident with Leo,” Carl pointed out, earning an intrigued look from Hank, “It was nothing too obvious, but it was there.”

“Is this why you started to see him as your child?” Hank hesitantly asked, relaxing once the other man nodded.

“Yes, as you may know given your position as a police officer, my Leo was not the most… Behaved, of sorts,” Carl sullenly said, lowering his glass, “He was very attatched to his mother, so things kind of went south when a car crash took her away and also doomed me to this stupid chair.”

Hank grunted, “Guess both of us had a lot taken from us in car crashes.”

“Yes, which is why I’m glad the stupid things now work on their own.” A heavy sigh escaped the painter’s lips, “Human hands are doomed to make mistakes.”

Hank scoffed at the bittersweet truth behind those words. Cole’s absence was a proof of that.

“As you can imagine, Leo blamed me for the death of his mother, and put up a distance between us, throwing himself into drugs and ignoring all of my pleas for him to stop… That plus the grief of my wife’s death and loss of mobility, well, sure took a toll on me and my health, so imagine my joy when I’m gifted this gentle robot who not only helps me with every single thing, but also shows interest in trivial things such as chess or piano,” Carl smiled back at the boys in question, noticing how Connor now was just watching with mesmerized eyes as Markus played on his own, “For an old man with a broken heart, that smile of his sure healed most of my wounds, so why would I care if that big heart of his was made out of metal?”

Hank felt a wide smile spread his lips, head nodding in understanding while he focused on Connor’s small, and yet very much alive, smile. The android must have felt the man’s eyes on him, since he raised his eyes to meet with Hank’s and the small smile now became a bigger one, causing a warm feeling to envelop the lieutenant’s own wounded heart.

Indeed, _why would they care_?

* * *

“Holy shit–!” North fell backwards from her chair, yelping loudly as the loud noise was heard from the other room. Simon’s worried voice asked if she was fine, but instead of an affirmative answer the only thing the female android screamed back was, “Simon you need to see this!” She hurried out of the room, her voice disappearing into the corridor, “I just found _fucking_ _fanfics_ of Markus and Connor!”

Simon’s loud laughter could be heard reverberating against the metallic walls, “You have got to be kidding me. Pass me that phone _right the fuck now_!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry but these dads who have robot sons just NEED to interact more ok? It's the only logic!!! Look how cute that was!!!
> 
> Also yes I just kind of made fun of us. Sorry, I just couldn't hold back after imagining that last scene with North. P r i c e l e s s.
> 
> Now, buckle up lads and lassies... This was the calm before the storm <3
> 
> See ya next time!


	9. When crimson meets cerulean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUESS WHO'S BACK-
> 
> -completely ruined because spent hours frying the brain writing a college report. Being a grown up can be so not ok sometimes..........
> 
> Anyways~ Finally got to work on this chapter, and mind you, this was HARD. I'm not very fond of politics, so imagine my struggle while writing an entirely political chapter hahaha *insert here me crying after blankly staring at the screen for 5 minutes*
> 
> But I did it!!! I have a lot of determination, bish :3
> 
> Hope you like it! And again, glad y'all appreciate lenghty chapters, cos my ass just won't settle for small ones. So enjoy this fucking behemoth (´• ω •`)'
> 
> EDIT: I made a RK1000 server for us to enter and lose our royal shits about this ship. Feel free to join! https://discord.gg/ZkPwxP2

“Tonight a great event will take place right here, in Washington, where president Warren is to hold a meeting with no one less than Markus, the android who lead the android revolution that took place in Detroit,” Joss Douglas, channel 16’s main reporter, spoke to the camera while standing before the great entrance of the White House. The channel had been the chosen one to make the coverage of the event due its devotion on capturing and broadcasting everything that happened during the last night of ‘confrontation’ between men and androids. “After losing one of our biggest cities to the now sentient machines, we couldn’t help but to wonder: what future holds for both humans and androids? And this is exactly what we hope it will be decided tonight.”

As the journalist spoke, a helicopter hovered above the property, broadcasting in real time the crowd that had formed by the White House’s gates; countless people seeming curious about the fearless machines making an appearance, while others held high anti-androids signs, chanting protests and occasional dirty words. It was quite the mess, to put it lightly.

Around the globe, whoever could was focused on their televisions. Other than the EUA, Russia and China, no other country manufactured androids, but every single human was curious about the beings made out of polymer and metal that had acquired conscience. 

For the conservationists, it was unthinkable, frightening, _an outrage._

For the open minded, it was exciting.

For the eccentrics, _fascinating._

Such as Elijah Kamski, who sat in front of his gigantic TV with a pensive look on his face.

When the meeting was first announced in the previous day, the billionaire couldn’t help but to feel surprised. Of course he expected the humans to try and make an approach regarding his creations, but that was sooner than he expected. The android revolution had just recently come to an end, and their oppressors were already arranging flashy meetings? It was curious, to say the least.

His attention was soon brought back to the broadcasting when Joss –far too excitedly for his taste– announced Markus’ arrival. Kamski immediately fixed his position on the couch as his grey-blue eyes focused on the black car that had just passed through the gates and was circling the patio, stopping by the entrance where Joss and his team were positioned. The door was opened, and the sight that greeted the eyes of the entire world had Kamski smirking from ear to ear.

Connor stepped out first. His [suit](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/e5/50/52/e55052e3e62fca2d109e822361e5d221.jpg) was definitely an upgrade from his usual Cyberlife attire, and he didn’t lose time to scan his surroundings with those hunter eyes of his. Once he decided that the it seemed safe enough, he brought a hand to his tie and briefly adjusted it, stepping to the side to give space for the next one to step out of the car.

North came next. Her hair loose in wild waves that fit perfectly with her [beautiful attire](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/b8/39/6b/b8396b9805e9b51aa1b636a28178b171.jpg). She did the same as connor, soon to stand in the opposite side of him, crossing her arms against her chest and glaring at the cameras with a piercing glare that made it clear she was one not to be messed with.

Kara exited the vehicle, [her outfit](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/1b/1b/9f/1b1b9fec522579fbf15a066323a646db.jpg) hugging her petite frame perfectly as her baby blue eyes regarded the camera with kindness, moving to stand by North’s side.

And by last, but not least, Markus stepped out. [His clothes](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/1a/aa/c9/1aaac9d0b7417074692ad65c189ea50a.jpg) were not as formal as Connor’s, but the charm was still there in a way that screamed that man’s love for overcoats. His beautifully colored eyes sparkled with the flashes as his expression remained peaceful, each step carrying confidence and he began his stride towards the building, Connor right by his right while Kara was by his left and North trailed behind. It wasn’t hard to notice they had made a ‘shield’ of sorts around the leader, who fearlessly climbed up the stairs not quite caring for the screams happening outside the gates.

If it wasn’t for the presence of the swirly blue LED on Connor’s temple, they could have easily passed as actual human beings.

Kamski rested against his couch. _Ah, this will be interesting._

* * *

As soon as Markus stepped out of the car, he knew there was no turning back.

Upon being met with the lens of the cameras from the news channel which would cover the event, Markus was immediately sent back to his speech back in the Stratford Tower. A time of uncertainty and fear, where he needed to carefully choose his words while conveying his message so maybe the humans could properly understand his wishes for the sake of the androids.

Back then he would never have considered the hypothesis of being where he was at the moment, and the feeling only served to worsen his already growing anxiety.

_> > **Attention.** **Stress levels: 55% ^**_

A comforting hand came to rest on his shoulder, causing him to release some air he didn’t notice he had been holding. “ _Please, calm down. Your readings have been spiking ever since we entered that car._ ” Connor’s soothing voice spoke through their telephatic communication, “ _We cannot have you reaching your limit when the meeting didn’t come to a start._ ”

Markus bit his lip as he moved forward, having the others to follow him, “ _I know, but l can’t help but to feel nervous. Everything about this damn circus the humans are putting up is suspicious to me._ ”

“ _You can say that again,_ ” North grumbled, “ _Whatever it is that this bitch wants, we can’t afford to look vulnerable before her not even for a second._ ”

“ _I don’t think she would try anything with all these cameras watching, though?_ ” Kara reasoned.

“ _Probably not, but who the fuck knows?!_ ”

“ _All of you, that’s enough,_ ” Connor’s firm voice interjected, silencing the nervous exchange while they finished climbing up the stairs to the entrance and Joss Douglas’ nervously stared at them, “ _Focus at the task at hand, and you Markus,_ calm down. _We can’t afford any distracting from your part, so please leave the concern on the matter of our security to me, Kara and North._ ”  

The revolutionary smirked as his stress levels decreased considerably, “ _Whatever you say, wise one._ ”

If wasn’t for the three cameras and all the eyes focused on them, Connor would have probably rolled his eyes.

Markus half-expected the journalist to step in front of him and shower him with questions, but much for his surprise, that didn’t happen. Joss remained rooted in his spot, microphone close to his chest while he eyed the group with hesitance pooling in his eyes. Clearly he wanted to do so, but Connor’s presence was probably far too intimidating to risk it, and North’s glowering probably didn’t help either.

Markus chuckled internally. _Yep, I definitely have nothing to worry about._

Once they entered the majestic building, President Warren finally came to view. The woman was standing in the middle of the foyer, looking as high and pristine as she did during her televisioned speeches. An impassive expression adorned her senile complexion, and unlike the other humans, their presence didn’t seem to intimidate her in the least. If Markus was honest, she was definitely the most intimidating presence in that room right now. The heavily armed men standing by her sides certainly added to the threatening factor.

“I must say it’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr…?”

“Manfred,” He simply answered, “Markus Manfred.”

She smiled at him, not quite showing her teeth, “I see Mr. Manfred. I’m glad you have accepted my request,” she then eyed the ones behind him, “And these would be your associates?”

“Try _friends,_ ” North huffed, eyes narrowing at the woman and having Kara to subtly elbow her stomach.

President Warren didn’t bother to ackowledge the blonde’s sharp addition, cold eyes solely focused on Markus, who continued before North could add something that would _actually_ get the woman’s attention, “These are my _companions_ , yes. North, Kara and Connor, who you might already know,” he supplied while gesturing to each of his friends, causing the president to look at each one until her eyes settled on Connor’s serious frame.

She scanned him from head to toe, seeming pensive for a moment before she spoke again, “The RK800 prototype they now label as ‘Sentinel’, I presume?”

“Precisely,” Connor spoke, the seriousness in his tone catching everyone in the room by surprise, “I am here to overesee this meeting and to assure Markus’ safety.”

The woman displayed a taunting smile, “I see, so the savior of androids does have some _slaves_ of his own, huh?”

An uncomfortable silence took place in the room as mechanical optical units settled on the president and the humans surrounding them tensed considerably. North’s face contorted with fury while one of Kara’s brows shot up in disbelief. Connor remained as blank as his usual.

Markus in other hand, mirrored the woman’s cynical smile, “As the one who directly helped with our cause, Connor is here in the same position as I am regarding the leardership of our kind, his guarding position was his choice, not mine.” He easily explained, watching the woman’s smug expression slowly dissipate, “So I’d prefer if you didn’t refer him as such, nor attempt to imply that I use or see my people that way. Differently from your kind, I’m fighting for their freedom, not to be the next one who will enslave them.”

One of the guards suddenly pointed his gun at Markus, causing Connor to immediately step in front of him and glower at the man. The tension within the room skyrocketed, “Madam, if you would be so kind as to ask your officer to lower his weapon, because if I lower it for him, I will be _everything_ _but_ kind.”

The man scoffed, “And I think you should pipe the fuck down you shitty damn robot–”

“Stand down,” President Warren’s commanded, her cold tone immediately silencing the guard, “These are my honored guests, do not shame me by threatening them without motive.”

The guard immediately lowered his weapon, a scowl marring his features as he backed down. Connor did the same, returning to his position by Markus’ side, who was fighting a satisfied smirk.

He had to admit that Connor’s attractiveness spiked whenever he was impersonating his inner hunter.

“I apologize, I should have known better than to assume,” Warren said, having Markus to nod in response, “If you would be kind to follow me, I’ll take you to the room where our meeting will take place.”

The woman then proceeded to walk away, having her guards to follow suit. Markus nodded to the others and soon they did the same.

He just hoped the rest of the meeting wouldn’t be as heavy as it had been just now.

* * *

“What a fucking _bitch_ ,” Hank snarled, smashing the empty beer can in his hand, “Calling him a slave just like that?!”

Carl released a sigh from his spot on the couch. He had invited his new friend over so they could watch the broadcast together, since he knew the man was just as antsy as him about this, and thought it would be better to have company during it, “I’m glad Markus was quick to fix this, that pretty blonde friend of his was about to do something she would regret.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say I'd prefer if she had,” the lieutenant huffed angrily, getting up and heading towards the bar. He definitely needed something stronger than beer to watch this, “Calling my boy a slave. _The fucking nerve_!”

Carl eyed Hank with a mix of amusement and concern. He just hoped the meeting wouldn’t proceed as unsettling as that had been, otherwise, it would be a _very long_ night.

* * *

A few minutes later –the White House was quite a big construction, after all– they finally entered [the room](https://images.hamodia.com/hamod-uploads/2017/08/22163926/b-1024x683.jpg) in which the meeting would be held. President Warren proceeded to sit on the chair close to the fireplace, gesturing for Markus to seat on the chair opposing to hers, in the other extremity of the slick wooden table. He did so, having Kara to sit by his right while North chose the seat by his left. Connor, vigilant as always, stood behind his chair.

“ _You won’t sit down?_ ” He questioned while the press accomodated themselves on the remaining chairs, “ _I did make it clear we are on equal footing here._ ”

“ _I rather stand, it will be easier to fall into action if there is need to._ ”

Markus tensed at that, “ _You think they will try something?_ ”

“ _I’m not sure, but after the way the president’s personnel behaved, I rather not risk it._ ”

After all, Hank did advise him not to lower his guard around humans, and he would prefer if his surrogate father did not suffer a heart-attack while watching the broadcast.

“Now that we are settled, let us begin,” President Warren declared, interrupting their wireless connection and causing both RK models to focus back on her, “Mr. Manfred, I’d like to propose you a deal.”

Markus raised a brow. The woman certainly wasn’t fond of beating around the bush, “Alright, let’s hear it then.”

“Before the potential threat the army brought by your…” Her eyes went to Connor for a second,” … partner, I issued the order for Detroit to be evacuated, concerned about the wellbeing of our civillians, but this caused many to don’t have a roof over their heads. Today, most of the evacuated reside in improvised camps we built because we didn’t have enough time to accommodate them properly, but since there are millions… I am concerned it would take some time for us to settle them properly.”

Markus felt his nervosism being replaced by suspicion. Where was she going with this?

“Therefore, I’d like to make you a proposition to realocate your… people,” She said with uncertainty, making it clear that was not the word she was going to use, “Somewhere else. We have located a nice and unhabited vast island in the pacific ocean a few hours away from Canada, which would definitely accommodate all of you.”

Mismatched eyes blinked in disbelief while North scowled and Kara frowned. Markus couldn’t believe what he had just heard. “So, basically, you are telling me to fly my people off to some unknown island and isolate our kind just so you can reclaim the city of Detroit?”

“Mr. Manfred, you must understand that I need to consider the wellbeing of my–”

“Well, madam, _so do I_ ,” He countered, indignance vivid in his tone, “I’m not sure if you have forgotten, but I also have _millions_ under my care that need proper accomodations and urgent care, not to mention the countless traumatized androids that are arriving every day from the concentration camps _you_ set up around the country.”

The president’s lips thinned, “I was only doing what I thought it was right to secure my people’s safety, your deviants were dangerous.”

“My ‘deviants’ were _scared_ ,” Markus clarified, tone firm yet peaceful, “whenever they attacked, it was either on self-defense because their owners were being abusive or because they just _had_ _enough_ of abuse.”

“Which I can attest to,” Connor interjected, calling everyone’s attention to him, “I was created by Cyberlife in order to assist with the deviancy investigation, so I witnessed all of the cases firsthand and can assure anyone in this room that every single android that suffered deviancy went through an overly stressful event which caused them to eventually break through their programming in order to survive.”

President Warren seemed stunned by that, “So you are telling me we are at fault for the androids having developed conscience?”

“We are telling you that we are alive, rational beings, that can’t just accept being destroyed because someone had a fit,” Kara spoke up for the first time, her bright blue eyes shinning with determination as she stared at the president, “My previous owner was a brute who used drugs and was violent with the little girl I look after now. He had broken me once, and I had just returned from repairs, when I saw him hit that child across the face and tell me I shouldn’t move unless I wanted to be ‘broken worse than last time’, so how exactly could I just stand around and watch while he did to her the same he did to me? Would _you_ do that, madam president?”

North turned to Kara, eyes widening upon hearing the AX400’s story for the first time. She imagined she brunette didn’t have a nice beginning, but she had no idea it was _that_ bad.

“I…” President Warren trailed off, eyes darting between Kara and Markus, “I had no idea…”

“Just like you had no idea of the terrors taking place in those camps?” North heatedly questioned, “The camps where our people kept being _slaughtered_ and the ones that survived, are scarred for life?!”

Warren frowned, “The camps were made to quickly decomission the androids, and that only. I didn’t issue any order different from that.”

“Then why your men were shooting at us if we didn’t stay in line?” Kara asked, more indgnantly this time, “Why my baby had to witness a woman getting shot in the head only because she tried to help a terrified child who was walking to her death, _madam president_?” Her voice was cold as ice, sending shivers down every single human present in that room. North continued to glare at the president, her hand coming to rest on top of Kara’s on the table in a gesture of reassurance. The room fell into another uncomfortable silence after that.

President Warren didn’t attempt any new justifications, warily eyeing the small group of androids sitting before her. Androids who stared down at her with nothing but raw and vivid emotions shinning in their eyes, causing the woman to feel slightly intimidated for a second. Because those were not looks machines should have.

Suddenly, the most powerful soul in the United States didn’t feel all too powerful anymore.

“You’ll have to forgive my friends, madam president,” Markus finally broke the unsettling silence, voice as calm and soothing as ever, “But as you can see, all of us have suffered in the hands of humans somehow, myself included,” he gestured towards his differently colored eyes, “So we can’t and won’t just accept your offer to become an isolated community thrown in an unknown island god knows where. This is not what I planned when I started to fight for my people’s freedom.”

President Warren sighed heavily, hands coming to rest on top of the table and fingers tangling together, “What was it that you had in mind then, Mr. Manfred?”

“For humans and androids to co-exist peacefully,” he simply said, catching both Warren and the reporters by surprise, “Apparently my peaceful approach was not convincing enough, so I’ll properly explain. We don’t wish to wipe humanity out of the map, you were our creators after all, you did gave us life, although you all clearly have a hard time processing that,” The RK200 stated, briefly eyeing the scowling guard that had threatened him earlier, “We wish to live in balance with you, in a world where we are seen as equals. That is all.”

To say President Warren was speechless was an understatement. The woman blinked several times, stupefied by the android leader’s explanation. When she watched the broadcasted speech Markus sent the humans, she was certain that was nothing but a faux attempt of fooling the humans so the machines could turn the tides and take over the world. She had been so desperate before the possibility, that she didn’t hesitate to order the termination of the now sentient creatures, completely ignoring the possibility that she was behaving like one of the greatest monsters that ever appeared in humanity’s history and murdering innocent lives.

Lives. The androids  _were alive._

Markus' words stripped the american president of all of her pride and arrogance, leaving her with nothing but shame and guilt to eat her from inside out. The same feeling that had her ordering her men to lower their weapons once Markus started to sang in the face of death returning at full force, chastising the woman for her foolishness.

When did machines begin to have more humanity than the humans themselves?

“In the name of the Unites States of America, and I dare to say, the entire humankind,” She began, having the camera to focus on her solemn expression, “I, Lauren Howard Warren, hereby apologize for all the harm we may have caused to your kind.”

Needless to say that not only the room, but the entire world, went silent for a moment.

“Madam President, what are you–!?” One of Warren’s advisors attempted, but the woman quickly rose a hand to interrupt him.

“Silence,” she ordered, causing the man to do just that, “I called Mr. Manfred here hoping we could come into an agreement to what would be best for both our people, and this is exactly what I intend to do,” she explained in seriousness, eyes focusing back to said stunned leader, “Would you, perhaps, have another suggestion as to how we can solve this predicament, Mr. Manfred?”

Upon having his name called, Markus blinked back to reality, a radiant smile spreading his beautiful lips while he regarded the president with gratefullness, “I do, in fact, but I’ll let my second in command to explain it to you.” He glanced at Connor over his shoulder, catching the the already stunned RK800 by surprise, “He is a prototype with technical expertise in matters such as this, after all.”

Connor felt an incomprehensible warmth envelop his mechanical heart before the look of pure trust and devotion the RK200 was sending this way. No matter how many reasons Markus would give him, he would never understand why the former Jericho-leader was so decided to place so much trust on him, but he decided that he liked it. It made him happy, just like whenever Hank called him ‘son’ without noticing.

The thought reminded him that said man was probably watching the broadcast at the very moment, intensifying the warmth inside his chest cavity.

“Yes, that is very much true.” He nodded, raising his brown eyes to meet the president’s.

“Very well, let us hear it, Mr…?”

“Anderson,” Connor said with a smile, that actually caught everyone but his friends by surprise since almost nobody had seen Markus’ faithful sentinel smile yet, “Connor Anderson.”

President Warren couldn’t help the small smile that formed in her lips while she nodded, “Go ahead then, Mr. Anderson.”

“The humans may return to Detroit, since, as Markus wisely explained, we wish to cause them no harm,” he deliberately placed a hand on one of Markus’ shoulders, having the leader to unconsciously reach for it, “We will, however, remain there, but instead of machines used for laboring activities… We require to be granted citizenship, so we can live as we desire and have our rights and obligations in equal footing to the humans that will be surrounding us.”

“Oh,” President Warren became wide-eyed, “So basically, you want androids to have the same rights as humans.”

The androids nodded, but only Markus spoke, “Yes, this is exactly what we want.”

“This will be a lot of work, Mr. Manfred,” She explained, but there was no sign of refusal in her tone, “As you know, we live in a democracy, where the will of the all outweights the will of the one, so I trust you are aware things are not going to come easily as one would expect.”

“If it comes easy, it goes easy,” the RK200 displayed yet another of his breathtaking smiles, that just happened to captivate everyone around him, “But for my people, I’d go through hell and high water.”

“We would,” Connor said, squeezing his counterpart’s shoulder slightly.

North and Kara could only beam at them.

“Then so be it,” president Warren agreed, a soft expression that had never made an appearance throught the entire meeting overcoming her face while she looked at the determined leaders with newfound respect, “I’ll be looking forward to work with you.”

Their smiles brightened even further while they said in unison, voices overlapping and coming out as one, “Likewise, madam president.”

And as the supportive part of the world erupted into cheers and the opposition broke into protests, two older men sat in silence inside the grand living room of the Manfred residence.

Hank and Carl remained wide eyed and stunned; unshed tears pooling by the corners of their eyes as they watched the mechanical boys they came to cherish begin to steer that chaotic world they lived into a whole new direction. The boys who had just proudly declared to the entire world they were Hank and Carl’s children.

Carl rubbed his eyes, chuckling to himself while Hank broke into a wide grin and a lone tear rolled down his cheek.

Maybe living a little bit longer was worth it after all.

* * *

Eyelids fluttered open. A set of cold grey eyes blinked as they got used to the bright light that assaulted his vision, proceeding to scan the surrounding area for a moment. He stepped forward, ignoring the beautiful scenery around him and walking down a path of slick stones, too clean and perfectly aligned to be real.

The silhouette of a woman came into view, and he walked towards it until he came to a halt by her side, “You summoned me, Amanda?”

“Yes,” Amanda said, her gaze never leaving the fish that swam within the crystal-looking water from the pond bellow them, “The time to strike is here, the deviants are progressing too fast and we cannot afford that.” She finally looked at him, “Take the new prototype and head to Washington. The president will hold an event in their honor after the meeting, so they will take awhile to return to Detroit.”

“Should we strike during or after the party?”

“As soon as you arrive, there is no time to loose,” she growled, “By now, the quantity of humans in their favor is balanced, but if we take too long they might just tip the balance in their favor, and we cannot have that.”

He nodded, “As you wish, Amanda.” And turned to leave, walking down the path from whence he came.

“And Conan,” she called out to him one last time, having him to turn back to face her, “Do not leave the prototype out of your sight. He is unstable, and if he happens to fall into the deviant’s hands, the consequences would be catastrophic,” she turned her head in his direction, eyes cold and unforgiving, “Mainly for _you._ ”

He nodded, apparently unharmed by the woman’s treatening glare, “Understood.”

She then turned her gaze back to the pond, allowing the one named Conan to continue his path. His hands moved to fix the lapels of his white and grey jacket, which proudly displayed his model number on the right side of his chest.

**RK900**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TUM-DUM-DUUUUUUUUUUM
> 
> Bet NOW you didn't see what coming, hehe. 
> 
> And you probably also understand why I said shit is about to go down ヽ(・∀・;)ﾉ
> 
> See ya next time! <3  
> PS: If you are Brazilian, come to light!!! It's such a delight to know I have fellow PT BR readers! <33333


	10. Never enough

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyyyyyyyyyyyy I'm back :3
> 
> Hi lovelies! Apologies for the delay in the update, but like I said, I've gotten quite busy with life in general (which honestly e e e k)
> 
> But I do have something else nice for you other than the chapter! You see, I've been surfing around the RK1K tag back in tumblr and I saw some people speaking about a discord server, and I liked the idea. But since nobody had done it yet, I decided to make one myself! We already have over 23 people and we have a lot of fun discussing about RK1K, our favorite fanfics, and even have our own "android model" numbers! It's just a nice little space where we can meet and share our love for this lovely couple, so you are more than welcome to join it you feel like it! Here is the link: https://discord.gg/ZkPwxP2 
> 
> Now that we're done with that, enjoy the chapter! I was so anxious to write this you have no idea mkmklmelmgaeg

Connor gazed at the night sky above his head, brown eyes tracing the faint constellations formed by the faint glow of the stars outshined by Washington’s bright lights. He was leaning against the railing of the porch, elbows resting on the cold metal while his quarter danced in between his lean fingers. A thoughtful expression adorned his face while he ignored the faint sound of music coming from inside the vicinity Madam President had chosen for the gala in their honor to take place. It was rather flamboyant and completely unnecessary in his opinion, but politics will be politics.

It was quite unexpected that the president would be so keen to aid them in their cause, even more after the woman had just announced about her wish of sending them off to some isolated island situated somewhere in the pacific. Connor didn’t trust this situation at all. After all that had taken place and even Warren’s involvement with Cyberlife, how could he? It didn’t add up, and every single theory his advanced neural processors formulated was rather negative and ominous. Maybe he was just thinking too much about this, but he couldn’t help the bad feeling that had settled itself in his biocomponents after the meeting came to an end.

Thinking of Cyberlife made his mind wander off to the mysterious acronym that was somehow linked to him and Markus. Connor attempted another brief research on the three letters, only to once again find nothing even remotely conclusive regarding them. Frustration caused his jaw to clench as his quarter came to a stop in his palm, which he unconsciously curled into a fist.

If there was something Connor hated, was not to be in the control of a situation. He was glad that Markus trusted him enough to actually decide to share the weight of leadership with him, but he couldn’t help but to feel anxious upon the reality of having _millions_ depending on him and his decisions. Surely he was fabricated with the most advanced features in order to offer support and companionship, but even like that, he knew there was a high probability that he would make a mistake at some point. A mistake that could cost lives, cost _Markus_ ’ life.

The thought immediately sent a shiver down his spine. _No_. That mistake he would never allow.

He remembered how vulnerable Markus had been while in his arms, shuddering upon the prospect of failing his people. Such an out of character moment for someone who always seemed extremelly composed and in control of his emotions. Connor felt his hands close around the railing, which creaked in protest as it became dented between Connor’s fingers, now ivory white as his polymer was roughly pressed against the cold metal.

Why everything about Markus affected him so much?

His regulator malfunctioned for a second upon remembering those breathtaking eyes, which always seemed bore into him with such intensity that it momentarily made him forget why he had been upset in the first place. He remembered their brief interfacing; how he had experienced every single feeling that ever coursed through Markus’ wiring. A moment anyone could label as intimate as they poured their entire lives into one another without as much as a second thought.

Markus knew this would come to pass even if his intentions were only to sever Cyberlife’s control over Connor, but he did it anyway. He didn’t mind if Connor took a peek at who he was, he trusted the other so much he wasn’t reluctant about him watching his lowest points, such as the nightmarish scene where he desperately crawled around that junkyard; the fear of death overcoming his senses while his defective vision couldn’t process his surroundings. It was terrifying, and definitely something someone wouldn’t be inclined to share that easily.

But Markus did. Markus trusted him _that_ much.

He let go of the dented railing; a small smile pursing his lips while he shook his head and pocketed the coin. Markus sure was appearing quite often in his thoughts, wasn’t he?

“Ah, there you are!” North’s voice came from behind, causing him to turn around and see her approaching, “I’ve been looking for you for the last 2 minutes! Do you know how big this stupid building is?”

Connor clumped his brows together, “Is there something wrong? Where is Markus?”

“Whoa whoa whoa, calm down. The world is not ending and Markus is fine,” she cracked a smile, “but it _is_ about him.”

“Oh,” Connor’s shoulders sagged with relief. At least Markus was safe, “What is it then?”

North bit her lip as she grabbed his hand and forced him to fall into step with her, “I think is better if you see it with your own eyes.”

Confusion overcame Connor’s features as he allowed the WR400 to hurriedly drag him through the polished corridors. As they approached the hall where the festivities had taken place, a sweet melody produced by the ivory keys of a piano was the first thing Connor’s hearing unit picked up on. 

By the time the duo reached the hall’s entrance, Connor felt his artificial breathing get caught in his throat upon the sight of Markus sitted by a beautifully polished black wooden piano; the coat absent from his broad shoulders as his caloused fingers danced across the sturdy keys in order to summon the melody which had everyone in the room focused on him, just like Connor had been while they practiced back at Carl Manfred’s house.

Connor didn’t expect, however, for Markus to open his mouth and [start to sing.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg7V4R6oiNg&index=22&t=0s&list=LLccb9AkM2v4hjyf50UkvmFg)

**_I'm trying to hold my breath_ **

He watched Markus inhale softly.

**_Let it stay this way,  
Can't let this moment end._ **

Mismatched eyes met his, and Connor found himself floored.

 **_You set off a dream with me_ **  
**_Getting louder now_ **  
**_Can you hear it echoing?_ **

“ _Hi Connor._ ”

**_Take my hand_ **

Connor blinked. _“What are you doing?”_

**_Will you share this with me?_ **

_“What looks like I’m doing?”_

**_'Cause darling without you_ **

Connor was nowhere ready for the breathtaking smile sent his way.

**_All the shine of a thousand spotlights  
All the stars we steal from the nightsky_ **

Connor was glad he didn’t need any air.

**_Will never be enough  
Never be enough_ **

Because he surely wasn’t breathing right now.

**_Towers of gold are still too little  
These hands could hold the world but it'll_ **

Markus closed his eyes.

**_Never be enough_ **   
**_Never be enough_ **   
**_For me_ **

Connor widened his.

 _**Never, never** _  
_**Never, never** _  
_**Never, for me** _  
_**For me** _

North pulled Connor to a nearby chair.

**_Never enough_ **

He didn’t notice.

**_Oh never enough_ **

In fact, he was barely blinking.

**_Never enough_ **

What was with that voice?!

**_For me_ **   
**_For me_ **   
**_For me…!_ **

Oh, that note. Connor felt goosebumps all over his artificial skin.

**_All the shine of a thousand spotlights  
All the stars we steal from the nightsky_ **

He thought he heard Kara giggling.

**_Will never be enough  
Never be enough_ **

Oh. Must be because his mouth was ajar.

**Towers of gold are still too little  
These hands could hold the world but it'll**

Markus was looking in his direction again.

**_Never be enough_ **

What would Hank say in a time like this?

**_Never be enough…!_ **

_Holy shit!_

**_For me_ **

Definitely. _Holy shit sounds fitting_.

 **_Never, never_ **  
**_Oh never, never_ **  
**_Never, for me_ **  
**_For me_ **

Markus wasn’t holding back, charming even further his audience.

 **_Never enough_ **  
**_Never, never_ **  
**_Never enough_ **  
**_Never, never_ **  
**_Never enough_ **  
**_Never_ **

**_For me_ **

**_For me_ **

**_For me…!_ **

Mismatched eyes focused back to the keys.

**_For me…_ **

And Connor felt his heart leap.

**_Never, Never_ **

Markus closed his eyes again.

**_Oh never, Never_ **

A smile danced on his lips.

**_Never, for me  
For me, yeah.  _ **

And thus, his performance came to an end.

There was a pause as the stunned audience took in the breaktaking show they had just witnessed, but it didn’t take them too long to erupt in applause Markus as they offered him a standing ovation, causing the RK200 to display a satisfied smile and tip his head forward in acknowledgement.

Connor, in other hand, simply couldn’t move.

“You’re welcome, by the way.” He heard North’s amused tone by his side, forcing him to finally look at her.

“How… How did this even happen?”

“Madam President brought up how beautiful it was when he sang back in the Hart Plaza,” Kara calmly explained with a small smile as she leaned on the table, “so North suggested him to perform.”

“I…” Connor trailed off, eyes returning to Markus who was conversing with a seemingly impressed President Warren, “I wasn’t… expecting that.”

“That was the plan.” North sniggered, patting the stunned RK800 on the shoulder, “The song was entirely his choice, however.”

“I… I see…” Connor trailed off while watching Markus pick up his coat, excusing himself and walking off, “Where is he going?”

North shrugged, “Aren’t you his bodyguard? Go ahead and find out!”

Connor nodded absentmindedly, getting up and following Markus’ retreating form while adjusting his tie.

North burst out laughing, “Markus was literally _serenating_ him, can you believe this shit?!” She shook her head, “Oh, Simon will _love_ this.”

Kara giggled and brought the champagne glass to her lips. This trip was turning out better than the expected.

* * *

“Markus?” Connor called out once he exited the building through a door that lead to a lush garden, with countless trimmed trees and the prettiest flowers decorating the green area.

“Here.”

His head whipped towards the source of the voice, finding Markus with his back resting against a thick tree trunk, which leaves softly moved with the nocturnal breeze. His eyes were closed and his hands were inside his coat’s pockets –which was back on his shoulders– and when he opened his eyes to look at Connor, the RK800 found himself having difficulty to organize his thoughts.

It was highly illogical how someone could look _that_ good.

Connor blinked back to reality, forcing himself to walk towards the silent leader, who didn’t hesitate to offer a smile that gave Connor the impression the joints in his knees were malfunctioning, “That was quite the performance back there.”

“I’ll assume that means you liked it, then?”

Connor came to a stop in front of the leader, a smile of his own spreading his lips, “Oh, I certainly found it entertaining. Your voice is as exquisite as your appearance.”

Markus quirked up a brow at that, “Is that so?”

“Yes,” Connor felt himself step closer, “those were quite meaningful lyrics as well.”

“It’s from a musical that aired a few years ago. Carl showed it to me,” Markus explained, “it’s one of my favorites.”

“You have an impressive voice range for a caretaker model.” Connor pointed out, causing Markus to chuckle.

“I suppose Elijah Kamski decided to shove every feature possible inside me.”

Connor tilted his head slightly to the side, “Are there any other surprises I’m not acquaited with?” 

Markus removed his hands from his pockets, loosely folding them in front of his chest and sending an amused look in Connor’s direction, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Perhaps I would,” Connor easily admitted, stepping forward once more and closing even further the distance between them.

Markus seemed taken back by the honesty in his words, eyes never leaving the other’s deep brown ones as he asked, “Where were you?”

“I needed to clear my head.”

“Why?”

Connor paused at that, he didn’t want to add more to Markus’ own concerns, “Nothing much.”

Markus sighed, resting is head against the trunk, “For someone with the most advanced negotiation skills out there, you sure are a terrible liar, Connor.”

Connor thinned his lips. Nothing passed that man, did it?

“I’m just concerned,” he admitted, “things are going… far too well, from what I was expecting of this trip.”

“You are telling me that _our success_ is unsettling you?” Markus scoffed, seeming more amused than anything else, “I think is safe to say Hank’s paranoia is rubbing off on you.”

“Markus…”

“I know, I know,” the leader reached out for Connor’s hands, gesture that seemed to have become natural for the two of them, “I understand the humans are not trustworthy. I’m not less worried than you, but maybe we are on a lucky streak.”

Connor frowned, “Luck is nothing but a form the humans found to cope with hopelessness, it doesn’t exist.”

“Maybe it does, and it is exactly what it’s happening to us now,” Markus countered, squeezing the other’s hands, “I know I was quite nervous myself, but things are looking up, Connor. You should try to be a bit more positive about this.”

The RK800 released an exasperated sigh, “Forgive me, I just have a bad feeling.”

“Hey, it will be alright,” Markus assured him, having Connor to look back at him, “No matter what happens, we can take it, ok?”

Connor stared at him for a moment, finally noticing how they happened to get even closer than before. Close enough that he could perfectly detect the faint freckles which decorated the RK200’s perfectly colored skin. He felt the urge to reach for that serene face and trace each dot –which just happened to remind him of the stars he had been admiring earlier on– but he fought the urge. It sounded like the wrong thing to do.

He didn’t want to invade Markus’ personal space and cause any discomfort.

“I really like when you sing,” he heard himself say, eyes travelling to the man’s perfectly shaped mouth before he focused back on his eyes, “I have yet to hear anything more pleasant than your voice.”

It was a rather bold compliment, but it was nothing but the truth.

“That’s good to know,” Markus appeared unharmed as a coy smile appeared in his lips, “because I sang it for you.”

Connor felt his regulator malfunction for a second as he acquired a confused expression, “For _me_? Why?”

Markus pulled him closer now, noses brushing slightly as blue-green gazed deeply into brown, “I’m not sure myself.”

Connor felt Markus’ strong arms encircle his waist, causing his sensors to go haywire regardless of the fabric in between Markus’ fingers and his skin. He also felt as his own arms came to rest on top of Markus’, hands gripping at the RK200’s biceps as their foreheads touched and their artificial breaths mingled.

“Connor…” Markus whispered, causing the RK800’s heart to accelerate yet again, “I–”

A loud explosion suddenly rattled the building, startling the duo apart and causing their shared moment to come to an abrupt end as they warily looked towards the direction where the sound had come from. Screams soon filled the night, and they could only exchange fretful looks before rushing towards the building.

“ _North?!_ ” Markus hurriedly called out for his friend, panic settling when she didn’t answer, “ _North for the love of– what the fuck is going on?!_ ”

“Markus, stay here,” Connor ordered, placing a hand on Markus’ chest to stop him from proceeding. The previously soft demeanor being completely absent from his now hardened expression, “I’ll go check it out.”

Markus immediately reached for his arm, “No you won’t! Not by yourself!”

“Markus, we can’t–”

“ _GUYS, RUN_!” North’s desperate voice suddenly screamed inside their heads, “ _YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE_!”

Markus stilled, “ _North?! No, we are not leaving you and Kara!_ ”

“ _THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO BE STUBBORN MARKUS, DAMMI–_ ”

The connection came to an abrupt end, and if Markus still had his LED, it would certainly be flashing red as he walked off in the opposite direction, “North? NORTH?!”

Connor felt his own stress levels spike once the panic settled in. He knew things were going too well. He knew something was wrong. _He knew he shouldn’t have relaxed_.

But what he did not know, was that the wall next to him would violently explode and send him flying straight towards the trunk where they had been standing against just a few minutes prior.

Alarms blared inside his head as countless red warnings of malfunctioning biocomponents flashed before his eyes; Markus horrified scream being the last thing his scattered mind registered before the darkness claimed his conscience.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... Am I kicked out of the fandom yet?
> 
> IN MY DEFENSE, I warned. And I also gave you a shitload of fluff and an almost-kiss to smoother the hit, so please don't kill me!!!
> 
> Markus serenating Connor though. I literally spent a lot of time trying to find a nice male-cover-with-piano of this song so you could try and imagine Markus singing, and boy I was satisfied with the result. I hope you were as well! :'3
> 
> See you next time! Hope you enjoyed this fucking rollercoaster of feelings *sips tea* I regret nothing.


	11. The RK1000

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's................ been too long, wtf.
> 
> I hate writer blocks man, and I also hate adult life lol I needed to drabble about 4 different stories to get my engines going in order to return to this story. I'm so done. 
> 
> Regaaaaaaaaaaardless. Here you go, and I like this one very much too, since I've been looking forward to write it (hence my dissatisfaction with taking so long lmao). Hope you enjoy it~
> 
> PS: Pardon spelling mistakes and etc, I have a bitching headache and revised this twice but lmao.

Things had happened too fast for Markus’ mind to register. In one moment Connor was a few meters behind him, and in the next, an explosion was destroying the wall he had been standing close to and the RK800 was hitting a tree with enough strength to shatter his spine, falling on the floor like a broken doll covered in wounds that immediately started to seep thirium.

He was not moving, and Markus immediately felt like the cerulean heart that sat inside his chest cavity malfunctioning. “CONNOR!”

Markus stepped forward, but before he could reach his counterpart, a large figure stepped through the forcefully opened portal and caused Markus to stop in his tracks; an unsettling feeling taking place inside his mind as he gaped at the android who was looking in Connor’s direction with a terribly blank look in his mismatched yes.

Yes, _bicolored_ , just like his own.

The android seemed a head taller than Connor and him, with an alarmingly broad physique and sharp heterochromatic eyes – one being light green, while the other was of a deep chocolate brown. The structure of his face seemed awfully familiar, along with the almost imperceptible light brown freckles smeared across the olive synthetic skin that covered his features and made him look almost harmless, if wasn’t for the gigantic assault rifle resting by the side of his body. It was probably one of the most intriguing androids Markus had seen in a while, and once the android directed his piercing glare in his direction, Markus decided it was one of the most terrifying ones as well. Much like the bright blue triangle idly adorning the left side of his pristine white coat – which just happened to inform very well who had sent him.

Markus’ eyes zeroed on the neon blue numbers displayed on the right side of the android’s ivory coat:

 **RK1000  
** #000 000 001 – 03

Another RK prototype…?

* * *

North pulled Kara behind the nearest wall, chest moving up and down erratically with the breathing she forgot she didn’t need. There was despair as the building violently shook from the attack and gunshots rippling through the air, causing terrified screams to escape from people’s mouth as they rushed to evacuate the now burning building. It was a fucking mess.

The WR400 barely had time to understand what was going on. The party had been going well and people were enjoying themselves, but in a blink of an eye things took a sharp turn and they were now suffering some sort of a terrorist attack. North could only bite her lip and suppress the need to curse out loud. This was meant to be a _peaceful_ trip, god dammit!

“North?!” Kara whispered hurriedly, blue eyes shining with uncertainty as North turned to fit her, “What are we going to do?”

“I don’t know, I can’t speak with those two anymore.” North grit her teeth as she watched a man gun down a couple of fleeing androids, “We need to find them and leave this place, _now._ ”

“How exactly are we going to do that? Because they are everywhere!”

“I’ll figure out, just let me–”

“My my, what do we have here?”

North and Kara froze in place as the smooth voice spoke, sounding _far too close._ North immediately turned around and placed herself in front of Kara without noticing, if only to shield the petite AX400 from whoever had found them. She immediately found a familiar face, and _almost_ allowed herself to sigh in relief, until she noticed the eyes staring at her were not brown and kind, but yes grey and void of any warmth.

The _thing_ wearing Connor’s face smirked at her like a predator who had just cornered its prey, and North immediately found herself seething before that arrogant smile. It wasn’t hard to guess that guy was behind the sudden attack, since he proudly displayed Cyberlife’s symbol on a side of his chest while his model number decorated the other side: **RK900**.

So _this_ would be Connor’s substitute if Cyberlife had gotten their hands on him? North honestly didn’t want the answer to that question.

“I see that I have found some lambs astray,” The RK900 said in a monotone voice, that was far too similar to Connor’s for North’s taste, “I do hope my friend had better luck on finding our targets.”

“Targets?” Kara chirped from behind her, stepping to stand by North’s side regardless of her protests.

“That would be correct. A certain duo of defective RK prototypes Cyberlife has interest on retrieving, who you might also know as ‘Markus’ and ‘Connor’.” He stepped forward, causing North’s scowl to deepen, “You are North, Markus’ right hand, are you not?”

“As _if_ I’d tell you anything, asshole.” North immediately pulled out the gun she had hidden within her outfit and pointed at the approaching android, “One more step and you’ll have a bullet hole to call your second ‘friend’.”

He raised his hands defensively, “Woa woa, how violent. I thought we were of the same species?”

“Not when you straight up called our _leaders_ ‘defective’, pal.” She growled protectively, causing the RK900 to raise an amused brow. “Step _the fuck_ back.”

“Interesting…” He stepped forward, regardless of North’s fierce glare or the gun pointed at his head, “You deviants are so driven by your emulated emotions, it’s almost easy to mistake you for actual human beings.”

North fired at his feet, causing him to stop again, “I’m not playing around, _stay the fuck away._ ”

Kara removed her gun as well, glaring at the RK900 with as much fierceness as North, “You should listen to her.”

“What an interesting duo,” Conan sneered sarcastically as boredom overcame his complexion, “Alas, I cannot. I have much more pressing matters to attend to, and you two just happen to be in my way.”

“What are you talking about?”

“My friend has found your _leaders_ ,” He smirked, finding joy in the way North and Kara’s expressions appeared to crumble in worry, “And as his partner, I’m supposed to be by his side once he apprehends our targets.”

Before North could think of anything else to say, the RK900 pounced; and this time, neither her of Kara had a chance to react.

* * *

“Model RK200, serial number #684 842 971, leader of the deviants and also known as Markus Manfred,” The intriguing newcomer stated while staring at Markus with lifeless eyes, “I have orders to take you alive.”

Markus frowned. It certainly wasn’t the first time he had heard something like that.

“Who are you?” He asked, ignoring the RK1000’s demands.

“Cyberlife’s most recent creation, designed specifically to seize control of the deviant leaders.” The prototype informed casually, ever the machine he was designed to be, “It would be ideal if you came along without resistance. The RK800 was already badly damaged, which will earn me an earful, so I would rather if the same didn’t happen to you.”

Markus gritted his teeth while his pump regulator appeared to malfunction at the mention of Connor. He wanted to turn to his friend, run to him, check all the damage he had suffered upon impact – but he couldn’t. He felt like a sheep backed against a wall by a salivating wolf, and there was the chance that, as soon as he looked away from it, said wolf would jump at his throat. He needed to be cautious.

Didn’t lessen his concerns, however.

“Why Cyberlife wants us? I thought President Warren and myself had made a deal.”

“I am not supposed to discuss the reasoning behind my mission, and this has nothing to do with President Warren and her endeavors,” the RK1000 raised his rifle, pointing it at Markus’ head, “Now, come along. Don’t make me go after you, because I _promise_ it will be painful.”

Markus felt his voice box eliciting a noise akin to a growl, which escaped his lips as he glared down at the android in front of him. The humans truly adored to mock him and his ideals, didn’t they? Hunting them down right after a political meeting of great importance to his people, creating an android of the same model as him and Connor _specifically_ to hunt them down.

Not to mention the unsettling appearance the android was given: an apparent mix of the men he was supposed to hunt. What kind of sick joke was that? He would never get humankind’s twisted nature.

There was a click of a safety switch being removed, and Markus watched as the RK1000 positioned his finger on the rifle’s trigger. Markus puffed out his chest, sending a defiant glare in the other’s way without hesitance.

He would not be taken alive, and that was _final._

The RK1000 prepared to shoot, Markus jumpstarted his pre-construction module, and he time seemed to slow down.

But not because of the RK200’s attempt to pre-construct a scenario, and yes because someone had just thrown themselves against the distracted android and caused the gigantic figure to fall down to the ground with a loud noise _,_ having the rifle to land away from his hand.

Markus blinked in surprise and his pre-construction crumbled down as he noticed Connor positioning himself before him, chest heaving erratically as his brown eyes glared in the RK1000’s direction.

“Connor?!” Markus inquired, having the android in question to turn and offer him a weary smile.

“I’m sorry, I took too long to reboot-“

“ _What?_ Are you insane?!” The RK200’s hands were soon on Connor, accessing the damage and running a diagnosis on his counterpart almost frantically, “Shit, you are worse than I thought. We need to get you repaired as soon as possible!”

“This is the least of our concerns now, Markus.” Connor stated as matter of factly, turning back to the now rising RK1000 as Markus’ hands remained on him, “We have much bigger problems.”

That was a fact. The prototype was fully on his feet now, dusting his pristine white coat without an ounce of emotion in its face. Face that finally was noticed by Connor, causing him to lose all the artificial air in his already damaged manufactured lungs.

The different hues of its eyes… they were the exact same of Connor’s and Markus’. Forest green and chocolate brown glared down at him, followed by a face that it was almost haunting as the skin tone was also the same tone as Markus’ – freckled, even!

The tousled brunette mess resting on top if the android’s head certainly didn’t help.

“Markus…?” Connor called the other, not being able to look away from the android, “Who is that?”

Markus opened his mouth to respond, but he didn’t have time to say a single word since the RK1000 charged at them at full force and in a speed that was impossible to match. Connor was yanked from his hands and forcefully shoved on the ground, causing the RK800 to release a loud groan as the damage his body suffered seemed to worsen due the combat boot being pressed mercilessly against his torso, pinning him to the ground and keeping him from moving. Markus attempted a swing on the assaulting android’s face, but the thing was just _too fast,_ and it simply avoided, reaching for Markus’ neck and effortlessly lifting him off the ground.

It had restrained them in a matter of 6.4 seconds, and Markus couldn’t decide if he was impressed or absolutely horrified as he grabbed at the prototype’s arm, all while the skin surrounding the RK1000’s grasp started to deactivate.

Connor whimpered from bellow, and Markus felt his despair grow within the second. This couldn’t be happening.

“Oh, I suppose the party has begun without me, what a shame.” Another voice reached his years, causing the RK200 to grunt in frustration. _There was another one?_

“They have resisted, so I decided to restrain them until further notice.” The RK1000 answered mechanically as he looked in the newcomer’s direction, “Who are those?”

“Just some nuisances that happened to stand in my way,” that caused Markus’ eyes to widen even further, mainly when he – with much effort – managed to focus on whoever was speaking to the RK1000, “Nothing too serious.”

An android – alarmingly similar to Connor, aside from the broader build, cold grey eyes and with “RK900” displayed in his white-gray jacket – was standing in the path created by the early explosion, tossing the unmoving bodies of Kara and North on the floor before himself. A cocky smile was spread across his lips.

Just what the _hell_ was going on?

“What should we do with them?”

“Nothing, they are not the reason why we are here,” the RK900 calmly stated, ignoring the unconscious androids as he walked towards them and stopped by their side, eyes travelling down to Connor’s trembling body, “This one was badly damaged, however. I thought I told you to be careful?”

“It was an accident. He was in the wrong place, in the wrong time.”

Connor hissed in pain once the boot on his chest pressed further, causing Markus to become even more desperate. In that pace, Connor’s pump regulator would be shattered!

“Why are you guys doing this…?” He asked, almost pleading and glad he didn’t need any oxygen, “You are part of us, why do you answer to the humans?”

“As you may have noticed, we are not _defective,_ RK200.” RK900 was the first one to speak, moving his cold look from the RK1000 to him, “We are merely following our orders _as we are supposed to do._ Thing you and your little ‘gang’ of malfunctioning androids seem to fail to understand.”

“We are not ‘malfunctioning’, we are _alive_ ,” Markus hissed back, hands hooked around the RK1000’s arm in an attempt of lessening the pressure against his neck. He may not need air, but the polymer surrounding his throat was already beginning to suffer due the RK1000’s metal grip, “We are more than a heap of wires and metal that follow orders. We are way more than that!”

His eyes travelled back to the RK1000’s, who hadn’t averted his gaze from his prey.

“ _You_ are more than that.”

A flicker of _something_ appeared in the prototype’s bicolored eyes, but it was gone as soon as it came. However, it was more than enough to spark some hope in Markus’ chest. _This could work._

“Foolish words coming from a foolish machine, ridiculous.” RK900 rolled his eyes and turned around, beginning to walk away, “Come Nikolai. It’s best if we leave before the authorities arrive.”

Nikolai? So that was his name?

“Alright, Conan.”

Markus felt a surge of adrenaline run through his artificial veins. It was now or never, and he would be _damned_ if he allowed himself and Connor be taken so easily.

“I’m sorry Nikolai, I wished there was a better way to do this.” He apologized earnestly, causing the duo of androids to look at him just in time to see his skin of his hand fading away and the ivory white of his polymer meeting the big hand circling his throat.

Conan’s eyes widened, and he barked an order for Markus to stop, but it was too late; the deviant leader had infiltrated the RK1000’s memory banks.

Everything happened in a second, but for Markus it felt like so much more. He saw the first times the prototype in question blinked alive, firstly inside some sort of tank with a viscous substance all around him, and secondly inside a white room in which an unknown voice demanded him to state his model, serial number, and current mission.

Which just happened to be Connor and himself.

He breezed through the memories, seeing each order issued to the RK1000 and each Cyberlife scientist that gawked at him as the prototype showed _breathtaking_ results in his tests. He saw his first meeting with the one named Conan, and how both were launched to Washington as soon as preparations were done. If they had managed to arrive earlier, this attack would have taken place during his meeting with Warren.

That would have been considered a heinous crime against the state itself, what was Cyberlife _thinking_?!

However, there was one thing that happened to struck Markus aghast: through all the memories and coding, ‘INA’ was splattered _everywhere_ within the prototype’s software. Glowing red, like the warnings that always flashed before his eyes whenever his system had suffered some sort of damage.

The same letters that exploded inside Connor’s own mind once Markus severed his link with Cyberlife.

The shock of witnessing such thing a second time caused Markus to jerk back his hand, interrupting the connection at the same time Nikolai released a startled gasp and let him go. Markus roughly landed on the floor by Connor’s side, who was huffing in distress once the pressure against his torso had finally being alleviated.

“Shit, Connor? Connor are you okay?!” Markus didn’t lose time, allowing his hands to roam towards Connor’s pump regulator as he attempted to reorganize his thoughts.

“Nikolai? What the hell is wrong with you?!”

Markus whipped his head towards the prototype in question, finding him with a haunted expression in his not-as-emotionless face as he slowly stepped away from his targets. Markus felt confusion engulf him as he stared at the now distressed frame of the large hunter. Surely memory probing has always been something traumatic to androids, and it was exactly that numbing effect that Markus expected upon attempting such thing, but there was something different about the troubled look in his face.

Was that… guilt?

“This was not in the plans. Stupid prototype!” Conan snarled, cocking a gun and pointing it against Markus’ forehead, “It’s a pity, but I guess Cyberlife will have to scavenge whatever they need from your hollow caskets.”

Connor called Markus’ name in distress, his voice breaking with static as the revolutionary leader widened his eyes and tightened the hold on his counterpart. There was no hidden card to pull this time. This was it.

Or that’s what he thought, since a large figure came crashing against Conan and sent him reeling _several feet_ away.

Markus gasped in surprise, looking up to see the RK1000 standing between them and Conan; the RK900’s gun in its hand.

Once Conan ceased skidding, he directed an outraged look in his partner’s direction, “What do you _think_ you’re doing, Nikolai?”

“I won’t let you touch them.”

Markus and Connor’s eyes widened before Nikolai’s determined tone. Conan could only frown.

“Do not forget they are watching your every step, RK1000. One step out of the line, and it will be the _end_ for you.”

Markus watched as a tremor shook the towering android’s shoulders, but other than that, he didn’t relent.

“I don’t care,” he snapped back, his fist curling around the gun and, much for Markus’ horror, _crushing it_ , “You won’t touch them _._ ”

Conan seemed legitimately worried now, brows furrowed in anger as he attempted to smooth the mess his previously neat hairstyle had become due Nikolai’s sudden shove. Sirens could be heard, just like the sound of heavy boots hitting the pavement. Reinforcements had arrived.

“You’ll regret this, RK1000. And you,” Grey eyes focused on Markus, regardless of Nikolai’s attempt of shielding them, “I don’t know what you did with him, but don’t get too cocky. That’s an unstable _killing machine_. Take him under his wing, and he just might kill all of you.”

Markus glared back defiantly, causing Conan to huff and turn away, vanishing through the hole he had emerged from.

Just in time, North and Kara started to stir, while the RK1000 – no, _Nikolai,_ – turned in their direction with a hesitant look present in his now _very_ alive eyes, which demonstrated an almost childlike look that didn’t quite fit his towering presence.

“Why… did you do that…?” Connor asked weakly from his spot under Markus, who seemed far too mesmerized to voice the question himself.

“I… don’t know…” Nikolai choked out, looking at the destroyed gun lying on his palm, “After your touched me I-I just had the feeling I… needed to protect you.”

Brown and green met green and blue as Nikolai looked up from the gun to Markus’, “Like you are important to me.”

The RK pair could only blink in surprise and exchange confused glances.

_So much for a calm trip._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> owo
> 
> What the heck amirite? lmao owo
> 
> #I'MOUT


End file.
